What is the origin of the phrase "going on"?
March 4, 2010 8:18 AM Subscribe
I sometimes see the phrases 'to go on' and 'going on,' enclosed in quotation marks, mentioned in philosophy, sociology, social science, etc. To 'go on' seems to mean to accomplish everyday activity. But where does the phrase come from? Wittgenstein? Is it so obvious that no-one needs to cite it? Thanks!
For instance, at the moment I am reading some Giddens. On p. 284 he says, "The sociologist has as a field of study phenomena which are already constituted as meaningful. The condition of 'entry' to this field is getting to know what actors already know, and have to know, to 'go on' in the daily activities of social life."
It sounds Wittgenstein-ish to me - and it is mentioned in the Philosophical Investigations - but are there other dimensions and sources to this that I am missing here?
For instance, at the moment I am reading some Giddens. On p. 284 he says, "The sociologist has as a field of study phenomena which are already constituted as meaningful. The condition of 'entry' to this field is getting to know what actors already know, and have to know, to 'go on' in the daily activities of social life."
It sounds Wittgenstein-ish to me - and it is mentioned in the Philosophical Investigations - but are there other dimensions and sources to this that I am missing here?
In that context -- referring to actors specifically -- it sounds like it's talking about "the show must go on," and I don't know if that has a specific origin or not.
posted by brainmouse at 8:43 AM on March 4, 2010
posted by brainmouse at 8:43 AM on March 4, 2010
Wittgenstein's concern about what counts as "going on in the same way" (i.e. following rules in language or other practices) became a big deal in philosophy following Kripke's Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language. "Going on" also sounds to me like something Stanley Cavell would say, maybe quoting Wittgenstein, but I couldn't say where.
It seems unlikely that Giddens could have picked up the phrase from analytic philosophy though, especially since he seems to assume his that his audience knows where it came from.
posted by k. at 8:46 AM on March 4, 2010
It seems unlikely that Giddens could have picked up the phrase from analytic philosophy though, especially since he seems to assume his that his audience knows where it came from.
posted by k. at 8:46 AM on March 4, 2010
I thought of Beckett too.
But it's also worth noting that the phrase might be confusing without the quotation marks, so it may just be that it's become conventional to use them to identify it as a phrase. I seem to recall lots of conventions/mannerisms of this sort back when I read a lot of social theory.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 8:54 AM on March 4, 2010
But it's also worth noting that the phrase might be confusing without the quotation marks, so it may just be that it's become conventional to use them to identify it as a phrase. I seem to recall lots of conventions/mannerisms of this sort back when I read a lot of social theory.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 8:54 AM on March 4, 2010
I agree with brainmouse. "The show must go on" was coined by Noël Coward in his song "Why Must The Show Go On?"
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 8:55 AM on March 4, 2010
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 8:55 AM on March 4, 2010
Maybe it's just to prevent strange parsings of the sentence?
posted by cmoj at 9:01 AM on March 4, 2010
posted by cmoj at 9:01 AM on March 4, 2010
In that context -- referring to actors specifically
For what it's worth, Giddens almost certainly means "social actors" here, not actor actors, so I don't think there's any reason to privilege a theatre-related explanation.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 9:02 AM on March 4, 2010
For what it's worth, Giddens almost certainly means "social actors" here, not actor actors, so I don't think there's any reason to privilege a theatre-related explanation.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 9:02 AM on March 4, 2010
And while I'm being pedantic, Coward didn't coin the phrase. He was riffing off of it, questioning it, so by definition can't have invented it.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 9:09 AM on March 4, 2010
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 9:09 AM on March 4, 2010
Response by poster: Yes Giddens is here referring to social actors. Sorry; in retrospect, I should have contextualized the quote. Just shows how used I am to interpreting a term in a particular technical way.
There is an undercurrent of Wittgenstein in Giddens; I think he was familiar with Philosophical Investigations. He mentions rules and also the looser interpretation of language games (that is, games as improvisations). He also talks about 'ways of life' here and there, which I think is a nod towards Wittgenstein's 'forms of life.'
posted by carter at 9:10 AM on March 4, 2010
There is an undercurrent of Wittgenstein in Giddens; I think he was familiar with Philosophical Investigations. He mentions rules and also the looser interpretation of language games (that is, games as improvisations). He also talks about 'ways of life' here and there, which I think is a nod towards Wittgenstein's 'forms of life.'
posted by carter at 9:10 AM on March 4, 2010
As cmoj suggests, maybe he's just using it in the colloquial sense of having the motivation to keep going on in life, and he's using quotes to help clarify this meaning and even just emphasize the two words (as in the cliched self-pitying lament, I can't go on anymore!").
I would think if he intended to bring up an esoteric concept from Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, he would have specifically mentioned Wittgenstein.
posted by Jaltcoh at 9:10 AM on March 4, 2010
I would think if he intended to bring up an esoteric concept from Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, he would have specifically mentioned Wittgenstein.
posted by Jaltcoh at 9:10 AM on March 4, 2010
Response by poster: But the theatre references are actually very interesting and useful!
posted by carter at 9:10 AM on March 4, 2010
posted by carter at 9:10 AM on March 4, 2010
I don't think the motivational explanation is correct. While Giddens is referring to social actors, for sure, the theatrical correlate would be closer to 'go on stage' than 'the show must go on' (note we can also say go on strike, go on vacation). The sense in which 'go on' is being used here is closer to these, but more specifically it is used to mean something like proceed or move forward (though without necessarily the intentionality the latter might imply). This is close to the way Wittgenstein uses it and it seems to me that it is being quoted to emphasize that 'go on' is being used as a kind of compound verb.
posted by tallus at 11:11 AM on March 4, 2010
posted by tallus at 11:11 AM on March 4, 2010
Is there a specific verb Wittgenstein is using that translates best to English as "go on," that would not be recognized as a specific phrase coming from Wittgenstein if the quotation marks were removed? So that, once brought into English, it is 'go on' with quote marks, indicating that this phrase links to a certain ongoing philosophical dialogue.
Or, if the origin of the phrase is a different philosopher who doesn't write in English - same deal. I notice from a different tradition entirely.. French theory words sometimes get translated to English and inadvertently made into Serious Concepts simply because the translator did something like this.
posted by citron at 2:42 PM on March 4, 2010
Or, if the origin of the phrase is a different philosopher who doesn't write in English - same deal. I notice from a different tradition entirely.. French theory words sometimes get translated to English and inadvertently made into Serious Concepts simply because the translator did something like this.
posted by citron at 2:42 PM on March 4, 2010
Response by poster: Hmm, maybe. In Philosophical Investigations, sect. 179, the German for what is then translated as "Now I know how to go on" is "Jetzt weiss ich weiter." Which can be machine translated as "Now I know further," "Now I continue to know," or "Now I know more."
:-/
posted by carter at 5:20 PM on March 4, 2010
:-/
posted by carter at 5:20 PM on March 4, 2010
Response by poster: Actually, replace "Now I continue to know" above, with "Now I know further."
Also in 179, "Now I can go on" is the translation of "jetzt kann ich forsetzen," - "Now I can continue."
So both 'weiter' and 'forsetzen' are translated as 'go on'? - I don't speak German :(
posted by carter at 5:28 PM on March 4, 2010
Also in 179, "Now I can go on" is the translation of "jetzt kann ich forsetzen," - "Now I can continue."
So both 'weiter' and 'forsetzen' are translated as 'go on'? - I don't speak German :(
posted by carter at 5:28 PM on March 4, 2010
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posted by OmieWise at 8:35 AM on March 4, 2010 [1 favorite]