I think—especially as, IIRC, this is intended as material for people unfamiliar with this sort of thinking—this could use a thorough reworking in search of greater clarity. I’ll pick a particular bit to illustrate.
If I’m understanding your intentions right, when you ask
What do I know about someone who is “racist”?
what you intend it to mean is something like “What do I know about someone, as a result of knowing that the word ‘racist’ is applied to them with its usual meaning?”. Note that this is not the exact same use of quotation marks as when you put “racism” in quotation marks so that you can talk about the word itself—you aren’t asking “What do I know about someone who is the word ‘racist’?”, which is just as well because that wouldn’t make any sense. But it took me a moment’s thought to figure out what I think you do mean there, and I suspect that for some readers it will be a real stumbling block. And I’m not certain that I’ve interpreted it the way you intend; maybe what you mean is ”… that the word ‘racist’ is applied to them by many other people?” or something, which is similar but not the same. So it might be better to say something like
What do I know about someone who is “racist”? That is: what do I know if I know that the word “racist” applies to them? This is no longer a question about my own concepts, but about how a word is used.
But … I think this words-versus-concepts distinction is the wrong distinction here. If you ask “What do I know about someone to whom I apply the word ‘racist’?” then it’s a question about your own usage, in just the same way as “What do I know about someone who is racist?” allegedly is. And when you ask “What do I know about someone who is racist?”, that can be universalized or particularized just as word-meanings can. “What do I know about someone I consider racist?” “What do I know about someone who would generally be considered racist?”. You could, in principle, consider these questions without invoking words at all.
A couple of other specific points:
This is the lawyer.
What? Maybe there’s something in one of your earlier posts that indicates what this is about, but as it stands it doesn’t seem to me like it makes any sense. If it is a reference to some earlier thing where you (e.g.) introduce some fictional characters and explain that you’re going to analyse things in terms of what they would say, then you should probably provide a link back to the earlier thing in question. Similarly for “This is the student again” near the end.
Oops, we’ve got a situation on our hands that incentives being a lawyer.
You probably want “incentivizes” or something of the sort.
But, generally, I’m afraid the whole thing feels a bit impressionistic and unfinished. Sorry!
Thanks! This version is “write out important important points that myself”. I see the points you made about the lack of clarity in what I mean. Very useful feedback.
I think—especially as, IIRC, this is intended as material for people unfamiliar with this sort of thinking—this could use a thorough reworking in search of greater clarity. I’ll pick a particular bit to illustrate.
If I’m understanding your intentions right, when you ask
what you intend it to mean is something like “What do I know about someone, as a result of knowing that the word ‘racist’ is applied to them with its usual meaning?”. Note that this is not the exact same use of quotation marks as when you put “racism” in quotation marks so that you can talk about the word itself—you aren’t asking “What do I know about someone who is the word ‘racist’?”, which is just as well because that wouldn’t make any sense. But it took me a moment’s thought to figure out what I think you do mean there, and I suspect that for some readers it will be a real stumbling block. And I’m not certain that I’ve interpreted it the way you intend; maybe what you mean is ”… that the word ‘racist’ is applied to them by many other people?” or something, which is similar but not the same. So it might be better to say something like
But … I think this words-versus-concepts distinction is the wrong distinction here. If you ask “What do I know about someone to whom I apply the word ‘racist’?” then it’s a question about your own usage, in just the same way as “What do I know about someone who is racist?” allegedly is. And when you ask “What do I know about someone who is racist?”, that can be universalized or particularized just as word-meanings can. “What do I know about someone I consider racist?” “What do I know about someone who would generally be considered racist?”. You could, in principle, consider these questions without invoking words at all.
A couple of other specific points:
What? Maybe there’s something in one of your earlier posts that indicates what this is about, but as it stands it doesn’t seem to me like it makes any sense. If it is a reference to some earlier thing where you (e.g.) introduce some fictional characters and explain that you’re going to analyse things in terms of what they would say, then you should probably provide a link back to the earlier thing in question. Similarly for “This is the student again” near the end.
You probably want “incentivizes” or something of the sort.
But, generally, I’m afraid the whole thing feels a bit impressionistic and unfinished. Sorry!
Thanks! This version is “write out important important points that myself”. I see the points you made about the lack of clarity in what I mean. Very useful feedback.