Philosophical Investigations : Can a Finger point at itself?
When we dive into the realm of consciousness, especially self-consciousness, it is analogous to a source of light illuminating every corner but itself. How do we explore the intangible? The reliability, the legitimacy of epistemic claims about oneself - all beckon deeper scrutiny. A philosophical metaphor suggests, "(Self)reflection begets obscurity from the shadow cast by the inquirer". But what does this mean for us?
The Godelian Paradox: Reflecting on Thought
Gödel's incompleteness and self-reference paradox pushes us further into introspection. These ideas make us confront fundamental questions about our language, our thoughts, and how they intertwine.
Language does more than merely mirror our sensible world, as Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (TLP) suggests. It embraces our multifaceted ways of life. However, a crucial mistake many make is subscribing exclusively to a Cartesian mode of thought. When we break these chains, a revelation emerges. While language reflects, it is also constitutive of the world. As a part of this realm, it can't escape its own nature, inherently becoming self-referential.
Our linguistic patterns tell us that language isn't just scientific symbols. Since it's a construct born out of human cognition and need, it inherently contains clues about the essential relationships of our cognitive faculties. Many philosophical dilemmas stem from this linguistic foundation. They aren't necessarily profound questions but rather can be attributed to linguistic confusions or misphrasings. The challenge lies not in resolving the paradox, but in understanding that the foundation of the paradox itself might be the flaw.
The Enigma of Thinking
When posed with the question, "What is thinking?", many might feel it's trivial. After all, don’t we all think? Yet, it's precisely this familiarity that can mislead. Several everyday examples allude to our understanding of thought. Whether it's predicting rain, getting lost in deep thought, pondering the cognitive abilities of babies, or simply being 'thoughtful', these instances pepper our daily lives.
While we might feel we grasp the concept of 'thinking', attempting to define it without circular reasoning proves daunting. A cursory glance at a dictionary definition might describe it as a 'process of reasoning or consideration' or 'an idea/opinion'. Yet, isn't that just begging the question?
Consider the phrase 'think harder'. Does it imply a conscious exercise, a mental strain? When we ask ourselves where thinking happens, we invariably come to the mental image of an inner space where we watch our thoughts, as if seated in a theatre. But this theatre of the mind is illusory. Any attempt to watch the 'watcher' within leads us into an endless regress of thoughts about thoughts, or 'metathoughts'.
For instance, when we say, "I think running is good for health", are we expressing a thought or a belief? Is this proposition itself the thought? Like crying is not the pain but its expression, a proposition is merely a reflection of a thought, not the thought itself.
This intricate dance between expressed thoughts and language leads to an even deeper realization. When we decide, "I think I'll take a holiday", it isn't a sequential formation in our minds. Rather, it appears in a flash, in its entirety. The flash is the pure thought, and its vocal or written expression is its thunder.
Final Reflections
Thoughts, unlike expressions, are always whole. They're not fragmented or half-formed. This ethereal nature of thought challenges our conventional understanding. We don't truly 'experience' thinking. Thoughts aren’t tangible mental objects but seem more like functions or hyperlinks connecting different mental concepts.
Lastly, the belief that we think 'with our heads' is another illusion we must dispel. It's enticing to equate our mental processes with a computer's RAM. But just as a computer's operations transcend the confines of its memory, our cognition isn't bound to our brains alone. While thinking might sometimes feel like it's located in our heads, it's essential to remember that our understanding of the mind, and by extension thinking, is ever-evolving.
In this philosophical exploration, we realize the inherent complexities of understanding self-consciousness, language, and thinking. The journey, filled with both clarity and confusion, is an invitation for all to ponder, to question, and to reflect. After all, can a finger truly point at itself?