Ineffability
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To say that something is "ineffable" means that it cannot or should not, for overwhelming reasons, be expressed in spoken words (as with the concept of true love). It is generally used to describe a feeling, concept or aspect of existence that is too great to be adequately described in words, or that inherently (due to its nature) cannot be conveyed in dualistic symbolic human language, but can only be known internally by individuals.
In Zen it is often said that (by analogy) the finger can point to the moon but is not the moon; likewise words and actions can point towards what is ineffable but cannot make another know it.
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[edit] Quotations
- "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent." — Ludwig Wittgenstein
- "What can't be said, can't be said. And it can't be whistled, either." — F. P. Ramsey
- "If a person can't communicate, the very least he can do is to shut up." — Tom Lehrer
- "What cannot be spoken in words, but that whereby words are spoken." — Kenopanishad
- "We shall grapple with the ineffable, and see if we may not eff it after all." — Douglas Adams in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
[edit] Things said to be ineffable
N.B. This list may include things whose ineffability is controversial.
[edit] Things said to be essentially incommunicable
- The nature of qualia (sensory experiences), such as colors or flavors
- The nature of spiritual experiences, e.g. Søren Kierkegaard's analysis of Abraham in Fear and Trembling, Problemata III, and in particular the mystic's realization of nonduality.
- The human soul (see also sentience and the Hard problem of consciousness)
- The musical experience, following Theodor Adorno, Vladimir Jankélévitch, among others.
- The psychedelic experience is largely considered ineffable to psychologists, philosophers and psychonauts alike.
- The composure of Jeeves, described by P G Wodehouse as "that subtle master of prudence, good taste, and ineffable composure" (in 'Carry on, Jeeves).
[edit] Things said to be incommunicable due to incomprehensibility
- The pre-big bang universe (as it was "nothing" to a much greater degree than a human being could understand)
- A universe which has five or more dimensions (our universe being four dimensional, three spatial and one temporal).
[edit] Things said to be too great to be uttered
- The Tetragrammaton, or Yahweh (by orthodox Jewish tradition)
- The "Will of Bob" in Mostly Harmless, part of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
[edit] Things said to be too disastrous to be uttered
- In C.S. Lewis' novel The Magician's Nephew, there is a word, referred to as the deplorable word, which ends all life on the planet on which it is spoken.
[edit] Things said to be unutterable because of fear
N.B. These may only be alleged to be unutterable in order to impress others, but not truly ineffable.
- In the Harry Potter Universe, Lord Voldemort's name is not uttered by almost all witches and wizards, because they fear him.
- The god Yawgmoth of Phyrexia, part of the multiverse of Magic: The Gathering.
