Divining intentions
How would you translate the following snippet of Remarks on the Philosophy of Psychology, v1, §137?
Bin ich wirklich immer im Ungewissen darüber, ob Einer wirklich zornig, traurig, froh, etc. etc. ist? Nein. So wenig, wie darüber, daß ich ein Schreibbuch vor mir und eine Feder in der Hand habe, oder darüber, daß das Buch fallen wird, wenn ich es auslasse, oder darüber, daß ich mich nicht verrechnet habe, wenn ich sage 25 x 25 sei 125.
I'd assign it a namedo it like this: Am I really always in uncertainty regarding whether someone is really angry, sad, happy, etc. etc.? No. As little as I am regarding whether I have a notebook in front of me and a pen in my hand, or regarding whether the book will fall if I let it go, or regarding whether I have not miscalculated if I say 25 x 25 is 125
. (The "regarding"s there represent a deference to the "darüber"s in the original which is probably excessive.) But how, one might ask, is it translated, that is, was it translated by Anscombe for publication? Thus: Am I really always in some uncertainty whether someone is really angry, sad, glad, etc. etc.? No. Any more than whether I have a notebook in front of me and a pen in my hand, or whether this book will fall if I let go of it, or whether I have made a miscalculation when I say 25 x 25 is 625.
Comments
on 2010-03-14 23:31:55.0, ronebofh.livejournal.com commented:
"Gee, Germans suck at math, but i'll fix it. For i am SUPAR TRANSLATOR!!!"
and, further, on 2010-03-16 19:10:01.0, germanidealist commented:
Wittgensteinian irony?