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    Wittgenstein's private language argument implies that sec... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→The structure of the secret entails that possessing a secret and not possessing it are simultaneous.

    Wittgenstein's private language argument implies that secrets are constituted through social practices of concealment, not through a private inner representation.

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    1 reason for
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    Reasons For

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    Reason for
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    • 1.Meaning requires use in practice; private inner states lack the normative standards needed to constitute genuine secrecy.
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    • 2.A secret known by no one would be indistinguishable from a forgotten thought; social concealment gives secrets determinate content.
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    • 3.Even recognizing something as 'secret' requires understanding social conventions about disclosure and concealment.
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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
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    • 1.One can have genuine secrets without ever revealing them; privacy of thought doesn't require public validation to be real.
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    • 2.The private language argument targets reference, not consciousness; inner representations can constitute secrets independently of practices.
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    • 3.A person suffering amnesia loses social practice but retains her secret; this shows secrets aren't constituted by concealment alone.
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    Connections

    2 topics

    Modality & Possibility1 linkedPhilosophy of Language1 linked

    Related

    A person suffering amnesia loses social practice but retains her secret; this sh...A secret known by no one would be indistinguishable from a forgotten thought; so...Even recognizing something as 'secret' requires understanding social conventions...Meaning requires use in practice; private inner states lack the normative standa...
    +3 moreShow less
    One can have genuine secrets without ever revealing them; privacy of thought doe...The private language argument targets reference, not consciousness; inner repres...The structure of the secret entails that possessing a secret and not possessing ...

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    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
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    1 edit