Words as "mere expressions." In this passage of the #PaliCanon of #Buddhism (Samyutta Nikaya 1.25), the question is: Does the "Arahant" (who has attained the goal) use the word "I"? The answer is yes, but only conventionally:
Words as "makeshift description." In the #Tao Te Ching, 15 (D.C. Lau):
> Of old he who was well versed in the way
> Was minutely subtle, mysteriously comprehending,
> And too profound to be known.
> It is because he could not be known
> That he can only be given a makeshift description:
An anti-linguistic thread, in which words are described as "mere expressions," as "servants," and as "makeshift description" in three different areas of #philosophy: #Taoism#Buddhism and #Greek philosophy @philosophy
(Yes, I know the Lau translation of the #Tao is a bit unlike other translations of this passage)