The question of 'unreality,' which confronts us at this point, is a very important one. Misled by grammar, the great majority of those logicians who have dealt with this question have dealt with it on mistaken lines. They have regarded grammatical form as a surer guide in analysis than, in fact, it is. And they have not known what differences in grammatical form are important.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Logicians often misuse grammar, treating it as a reliable guide for analyzing unreality, but they miss crucial grammatical distinctions.
- In plain terms
- Relying on grammar alone can mislead logical analysis of reality.
- What can you take from it?
- Separate linguistic form from substantive logical content.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does grammar shape our logical reasoning?
- When is grammatical analysis helpful?
Another view
Grammar can sometimes reveal hidden logical relations when used correctly.
More from Bertrand Russell
The method of 'postulating' what we want has many advantages; they are the same as the advantages of theft over honest toil.
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