The word
“I” does not mean the same as
“L.W.” even if I am
L.W., nor
does it mean the same as the expression “the person who is
now speaking”. But that doesn't
mean: that
“L.W.” and “I” mean different
things. All it means is that these words are different
instruments in our language. Think of words as
instruments characterized by their use, and then think of the use
of a hammer, the use of a chisel, the use of a
square, of a glue pot, and of the glue. (Also, all
that we say here can only be understood if you understand that a
great variety of games is played with the sentences of
1134.
our language: Giving and obeying orders; asking questions
and answering them; describing an event; telling a fictitious
story; telling a joke; describing an immediate experience; making
conjectures about events in the physical world; making scientific
hypotheses and theories; greeting someone, etc.
etc.. The mouth which says
“I” or the hand which is raised to indicate that
it is I who wish to speak, or I who have toothache, does not
thereby point to anything. If, on the other hand, I wish
to indicate the
place of my pain, I point.
And here again remember the difference between pointing to the
painful spot without being led by the eye and on the other hand
pointing to a scar on my body after looking for it.
(“That's where I was
vaccinated.”) ‒ ‒ ‒ The man who cries out
with pain, or says that he has pain,
doesn't choose the
mouth which says it.