MS 611-15

1908 Oct 31 Logic 25

tion. Pretty nearly all the psychological observation (to call give it by that a high-sounding title,) that was needed will already have been performed by our boy when he has produced a list of phaneron-genera that shall at all stand support comparsion with that which I have given--itself a mere temporary stop-gap,--an

612

1908 Nov 2 Logic 6

Chapter I. Common Ground.

There are some points concerning which you and I are thouroughly agreed, at the very outset. For instance, that you know the English language --at least, tolerably. I am positively sure that you cannot deny that,- at any rate, not in English. There is much more that it will not be unreasonable to assume that you will assent to; such as that you know the rudiments of grammar,--meaning, of course, Aryan grammar, which is often called "universal grammar";--that you have most of the leading attributes of the genus Homo, as set down in the books of physiology and psychology. Nay, far more than that, you have had, I will wager, an experience of life quite similar in a general way, as regards the smaller (??) and more elementary items of experience to mine (?). Among these I can instance this, that you, like me, have

1908 Nov 2 Logic 7

acquired considerable control not only of the movements of your limbs but also over your thoughts. If we were to meet in the flesh, we should both take it for granted. I should know that it was so, and know that you knew it, and knew that I knew that you knew it; and (??) so on, ad infinitum and vice versa. Surely, all this common acknowledged information ought to afford us an amply sufficient πού στώ in acting each upon the others opinions to enable us to come forthwith to agreement upon all ordinary topics, or at least, upon questions concerning our meaning in using familiar words such as knowledge, truth , and reality. Yet, strange to say, those very three questions, What do we mean by "knowledge"? What by "truth"? What by "Reality"? are much vexed. Is there really any need of their being so?

1908 Nov 2 Logic 8

I do not believe we can settle them unless we settle some other points first. I mentioned the phenomena of self-control as among the most familiar items of common knowledge. When a boy reaches the age at which the need of his exercising a far more vigorous, better plan schemed, and better organized government over himself strikes every intelligent boy as urgent, he will reflect, if he has any capacity for reflexion, that, considering how often he has already found himself mistaken, in spite of his never having seriously made a business of finding out all his errors, it must almost inevitably be that many of the opinions that he still holds are erroneous, though he does not know which opinions those are; and it would be absurd to suppose he should. There they must be, however; and he will be statisfied, if he has as much of the philosopher in him as