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Basic to any discussion of meaning is the notion of Logical Typing as introduced by Bertrand Russell and applied by Gregory Bateson.
As we all know, meaning comes from context. Context of any system is by definition "outside" of that system and of another logical type.
Therefore the meaning of life lies outside life. If you cannot accept this you are not a cybernetician.
Author: Shlomo Sher (shlomo[ at ]getunderground.com)
Date: Apr 19, 2002REPLY: the problem with the question
First of all Russell's problem is the problem of the entire 20th century linguistic turn in Ethics - we took language too seriously. As many have argued so well (I recommend Hare and Flew among many), qustions which attempt to ask for some sort of "Meaning" to "Life" are themselves non-sensical. This treats life as a an anthromorphic whole and attempts to ground it in some sort of final cause. Life is not an anthromorphic whole and neither any theistic response nor evolutionary reponse has ever been able to justify itself as a final cause for anything. Daniel Dennette's amusing take on it with regards to religion, alwasys appealed to me: "And who made god? what is supergod? superdupergod? Was it hard? Did it take a long time?" the same argumetn can and obviously is often made ihtw regards to evolution by theists and falls just as easily.
this, of course, as even existentialists like Cmaus and Sartre, not to mention many of today's philosophers, doesn't mean that a "meaningful life" is not possible. The problem is that the wrong question was being asked and it demanded too mcuh.
shlomo sher
grad student
philosophy
USC
Copyright© 1996 Principia Cybernetica -
Referencing this page
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Author
Angell Robert (none)
Date
Jul 8, 1996
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