Witti-Buch2 2001.qxd - Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society

Logic vs. Information - Two Approaches To Language
problem mathematically even if we lose some aspects of system characteristics. System
theory gives us a tool to handle such reductions in a systematic way. We can discuss
validity of a given reduction and idealisations made to obtain it. We can also discuss
different reductions as complementary hoping that in whole they enable us to examine
the system thoroughly.
Reduction of language to its information content shall be of our interest in the next
part of the paper.
3. Language as a means of information exchange
The system approach to language study gives the framework to treat the language as a
means of information exchange, thus allowing for establishing usefulness as a value.
Such value can be required for any spoken or written sentence. Usefulness is always
relative to a cognitive subject on one side and to a particular purpose on the other.
While relation to the cognitive subject is generally seen as the domain of psychology,
relation to the purpose can be examined independently of psychological aspect. At least,
provided that some intuitive assumptions are given.
Concerning our knowledge the following assumption seems to be implicitly accepted
by all philosophers: the purpose of our knowledge is cognition of the world around us.
From that point, any information helping us to understand the world is useful, while
meaningless or contradictory statements are not, in themselves, the subjects of our
interest. This does not mean they do not carry any information, though such information
has contextual value. Usefulness of scientific statements was so important for some
philosophers, e.g. W. James, that they tried to suggest the replacement of the concept
of truth by the concept of usefulness as the criterion of acceptance. In one aspect such
postulate is justified: cognitive subjects, like human beings, need efficient knowledge to
survive. Natural selection therefore prefers usefulness to truth.
4. Sentence “filtering” in natural language
Before a sentence gets accepted as a part of our knowledge, it is filtered through a
“logical value filter”. Only true sentences, whatever the notion of truth is, can contribute
what we know. In natural languages there is, however, another criterion, which selects
the candidates before we try to establish the truth or falsehood of a sentence. Let us call
it “information filtering”.
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