2,296 words
John Langham Austin was an English philosopher of language, an Oxford Don, and (like Alan Turing) a Military Intelligence Officer, who worked on the D-Day landings. Born in 1911, Austin died relatively young, at the age of 48, and his three books were all published posthumously. (more…)
Front left detail of the Franks Casket, featuring Weyland the Smith and Anglo-Saxon futhorc runic writing
Front left detail of the Franks Casket, featuring Weyland the Smith and Anglo-Saxon futhorc runic writing
2,197 words
If you want a mouthful of history, just say “mouthful of history.” It’s a hybrid phrase, Germanic and Greek, combining two great European traditions that met and mingled on the island of Britain. But there’s a local flavor to it too: the second consonant of “mouthful” is distinctively English. That’s why we once had a good way to write that second consonant: in Old English, “mouth” was muð, pronounced “mooth.” (more…)
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Ludwig Wittgenstein
1,938 words
Don’t use the rules.
They’re not for you,
They’re for the fools.
And you’re a fool
If you don’t know that.
So, here’s the rules
You stupid fool.
— The Clash, “Cheat” (more…)