Ineffability

Information about Ineffability

For the notion from set theory, see .

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.

Quotations

"Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent." — Ludwig Wittgenstein

"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name." — the Dao De Jing

"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

"I'm in the business of effing the ineffable."-Alan Watts

Things said to be ineffable

Things said to be essentially incommunicable

The nature of qualia (sensory experiences), such as colors or flavors
The nature of spiritual experiences, e.g. SÃ¸ren 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 JankÃ©lÃ©vitch, 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).

Things said to be incommunicable due to incomprehensibility

The pre-big bang universe.
A universe which has five or more dimensions.
The concept of Infinity.

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

Love is an intense feeling of affection related to a sense of strong loyalty or profound oneness.^[] The meaning of love varies relative to context.
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dualism is a set of views about the relationship between mind and matter, which begins with the claim that mental phenomena are, in some respects, non-physical.^[1]
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Symbols are objects, characters, or other concrete representations of ideas, concepts, or other abstractions. For example, in the United States, Canada and Great Britain, a red octagon is a symbol for the traffic sign meaning "STOP".
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Zen ( or ) is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism notable for its emphasis on practice and experiential wisdom—particularly as realized in the form of meditation known as zazen—in the attainment of awakening.
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Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein (IPA: ['luːtvɪÃ§ 'joːzɛf 'joːhan 'vɪtgənʃtaɪn]
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The Tao Te Ching, (Pinyin DÃ o DÃ© Jīng Traditional Chinese: ) is a Chinese classic text. Its name comes from the opening words of its two sections: 道 dÃ o "way," Chapter 1, and 德
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Frank Plumpton Ramsey (February 22, 1903 – January 19, 1930) was a British mathematician who, in addition to mathematics, made significant contributions in philosophy and economics.
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Thomas Andrew "Tom" Lehrer (born April 9, 1928) is an American singer-songwriter, satirist, pianist, and mathematician. He also lectured on mathematics and musical theater.
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The Kena Upanishad (kenopaniṣad
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Douglas Adams

Douglas Adams signing books at ApacheCon 2000
Born: 11 March 1952
Cambridge, England
Died: 11 May 2001 (aged 49)
Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
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Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Front cover from the first UK hardcover edition
Author Douglas Adams
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Series Dirk Gently
Genre(s) Fantasy
Science fiction novel
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Alan Wilson Watts (January 6, 1915 – November 16, 1973) was a philosopher, writer, speaker, and expert in comparative religion. He was best known as an interpreter and popularizer of Asian philosophies for a Western audience.
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Qualia" (IPA: [ˈkwɑːliə]) is "an unfamiliar term for something that could not be more familiar to each of us: the ways things seem to us"^[1].
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Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. The spiritual, involving (as it may) perceived non-physical eternal verities (or even abilities) involving humankind's ultimate nature, often contrasts with the earthly, with the material, or with the
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SÃ¸ren Aabye Kierkegaard (IPA: [ˈsɶːɐn ˈkʰiɐ̯g̊əˌg̊ɒːˀ], but usually Anglicized as
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Abraham (Hebrew: אַבְרָהָם, Standard
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Fear and Trembling

Cover page of the Penguin Classics edition
Author SÃ¸ren Kierkegaard
Original title Frygt og BÃ¦ven
Country Denmark
Language Danish
Series First authorship (Pseudonymous)
Genre(s) Philosophy
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Mysticism (from the Greek μυστικός (mystikos) "an initiate" (of the Eleusinian Mysteries, μυστήρια (mysteria) meaning "initiation"^[1]
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Realization or realisation might be:

Realization (climb), a sport climbing route in CeÃ¼se, France
Realization (finance), the pricing of security at market value
Realization (probability), an actually observed value of random variable

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The term nondual is a literal translation of the Sanskrit term advaita ("not two"). The term implies that things remain distinct while not being separate. The term can refer to a belief, condition, theory, practice, or quality.
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The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the self-aware essence unique to a particular living being. In these traditions the soul is thought to incorporate the inner essence of each living being, and to be the true basis for sapience.
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Not to be confused with sapience.

Sentience refers to utilization of sensory organs, the ability to feel or perceive subjectively, not necessarily including the faculty of self-awareness. The possession of sapience is not a necessity.
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The term hard problem of consciousness, coined by David Chalmers^[1], refers to the "hard problem" of explaining why we have qualitative phenomenal experiences. It is contrasted with the "easy problems" of explaining the ability to discriminate, integrate information,
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Theodor Ludwig Wiesengrund Adorno (September 11, 1903 – August 6, 1969) was a German sociologist, philosopher, pianist, musicologist, and composer. He was a member of the Frankfurt School along with Max Horkheimer, Walter Benjamin, Herbert Marcuse, JÃ¼rgen Habermas, and others.
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Vladimir JankÃ©lÃ©vitch (* 31 August 1903 in Bourges; † 6 June 1985 in Paris) was a French philosopher and musicologist. Association Vladimir JankÃ©lÃ©vitch, 48 rue de Fresnes L'Hay-les-Roses France.
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psychedelic experience, or trip, is characterized by the perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ordinary fetters.
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Reginald Jeeves is a recurring fictional character in the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse, being the "gentleman's personal gentleman" (valet) of Bertie Wooster.
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P. G. Wodehouse

Wodehouse in 1904 (aged 23).
Born: September 15 1881
Guildford, Surrey, UK
Died: January 14 1975 (aged 95)
Southampton, NY, U.S.
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Big Bang is the cosmological model of the universe whose primary assertion is that the universe has expanded into its current state from a primordial condition of enormous density and temperature.
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