metonymy4u

For a pragmatist in the world, there is no truth of the matter. Inscriptions are events. Nothing more attaches to them. The series of inscriptions 2+2=4 for example does not re-present a state of affairs “out there,” any more than an artist’s rendition of someone’s face or a landscape in spring. 2+2=4 simply is an event that some people have learned to respond to and others have not. The fact of responsiveness does not guarantee something called “truth.” It simply provides a hint as to what may come later. That someone else may respond in a manner that I find useful, or pleasing. The truth of these statements is founded on nothing more than a correspondence of behaviors. This is not, however, a recipe for nihilism. Our ancestors who responded to inscriptions survived and gave birth to us. In order to continue this tradition, we must work harder and improve.