I'd like to examine & query the intelligibility of a series of words placed together with the intent of forming a structure that imparts coherent meaning. The verbal structure I had in mind is the following: "It does not exist." My claim is that this is an absurdity based on thoughts hopefully successfully expressed in the very near future.
What I am disputing here is the "it" bit in relation to the not existing bit. "It" refers to something that exists; if it didn't, then it wouldn't be an it. To put it another way, an "it" requires an "is." I can't refer to something that isn't in terms of being an it. Its non-existence means it may be more accurately decribed as a not-it. Though even here, "Its non-existence" is fraught with unintelligibility as its very non-existence means it isn't an it with which to have a non-existence.
So to re-cap, the sentence should read, "It does exist," unless it doesn't, in which case the less said the better.
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6 comments:
It's all so simple: oximoron. Oh, a preposition to end a sentence with?? :) I love this. Thank you. b.
Oops - oxymoron. Sorry.
The familiar with line, Trailbee? I think I remember wondering about changing it so as to be more elegant but for some reason didn't bother. Artist that I am, though, I'll try & alter it now.
Though you'll see I've ended up slightly changed that area of the piece so the offending line is no more. Though of course, now no longer being an offending line, it is wrong to speak of it in an existing or non-existing sense.
I felt rather chagrined that I would do that to your post! It just popped right out, at least about the proposition! I remember getting my little ego smacked up the side of my literary head every time I did that. Now I'm old and its lessons are still there. How stupid is that? Like going to summer camp and sending home letters that come back red-lined, missing the point of the entire message. I'm keeping my fingers off the keyboard when I read you from now on!
Don't do that, Trailbee. Where would I be without the odd comment. Also I think the piece ended up a tad improved. The preposition ending always does seem a bit clumsy & I kind of enjoy the circumlocutions to avoid them with.
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