In a logically perfect language, there will be one word and no more for every simple object, and everything that is not simple will be expressed by a combination of words, by a combination derived, of course, from the words for the simple things that enter in, one word for each simple component.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A perfectly logical language would have a unique word for each simple object, building complex expressions from combinations of those basic words.
- In plain terms
- Simple objects get one word; complexity is built by combining them.
- What can you take from it?
- Design languages with atomic symbols for clarity.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What would a perfectly logical language look like in practice?
- Can complexity be fully captured by simple combos?
Another view
Human language often relies on context and ambiguity, not strict atomicity.
More from Bertrand Russell
To understand a name you must be acquainted with the particular of which it is a name.
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