[Interpretationandmethods] New List Member

[Larry Chappell]

I am glad that my memory from a political science dissertation on Whitehead from many years ago was reasonably accurate:


"There is an insistent presupposition continually sterilizing philosophic thought. It is the belief that mankind has consciously  entertained all the fundamental ideas which are applicable to its experience. Further it is held that human language, in single words or phrases, explicitly expresses these ideas. I will term this presupposition 'The Fallacy of the Perfect Dictionary.' " 

Modes of Thought
1968 Free Press Edition
P. 173.


-----Original Message-----
>From: psshea at csbs.utah.edu
>Sent: Jun 17, 2008 5:14 PM
>To: interpretationandmethods at malagigi.cddc.vt.edu
>Subject: Re: [Interpretationandmethods] New List Member
>
> Larry, I've known about Whitehead's 'fallacy of misplaced
> concreteness,' but not 'of the perfect dictionary.'
>
> Do you have a reference on that?