Meaning and Structure

 Meaning is not an easy concept to wrap one's brain around. What does meaning mean? It's like Wittgenstein's game, you know meaning when you see it, a Kantian thing-in-itself. How can this be?

Consider the construct that meaning is 'fit' into a pre-existing or coincident structure. What does 'the' mean? Nothing. Put it into a sentence, a structure, and it suddenly possesses meaning. There is, on this view, no intrinsic meaning but endless possibilities of contextual, structural meaning. A thing means what we make it mean, no more, no less.

The nihilist view that existence is meaningless is confirmed for nihilists who lack the ability to perceive structure but vitiated for those who know structures and fit, who know meaning.

Social existence is a game. I know it when I see it but it's a game of creating structure, concrete and abstract, in which to fit relevant 'pieces' like a puzzle, bringing them up out of the abyss and into the Light of understanding, of meaning.


Do Well and Be Well.


Civilizado,

Kindle Vella.

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