糖心TV

Saturday 13th May 2023

Location: The Wolfson Research Exchange

What does it mean to read a book that cannot be written? Interestingly, one example is among the most widely read works of twentieth-century philosophy: Ludwig Wittgenstein鈥檚 Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. By the Tractatus鈥檚 own admission, its propositions are self-effacing. Going beyond what it considers expressible in language, these propositions breach the text鈥檚 famous conclusion that 鈥榳hereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent鈥�. How do we read such a contradiction? The penultimate proposition explains: the text will revoke itself once it has been read. It is the reader鈥檚 job, we are told, to disregard the Tractatus once we have read it: 鈥楢nyone who understands me eventually recognizes [my propositions] as nonsensical鈥�, 鈥榌the reader] must, so to speak, throw away the ladder after he has climbed up on it鈥�.

In this sense, the 鈥淭ractatus Logico-Philosophicus鈥� is a book that does not exist. Instead, it is revealed in the negative space of the published text: 鈥榌The Tractatus] exists in two parts鈥�, wrote Wittgenstein, 鈥榯he one presented here plus all that I have not written. And it is precisely this second part that is the important one. [鈥�] I鈥檝e managed in my book to put everything firmly into place by being silent about it鈥�.

From Samuel Beckett鈥檚 declaration that 鈥榯here is nothing to express [鈥�] together with the obligation to express鈥� to Susan Sontag鈥檚 characterization of modern art as the 鈥榩ursuit of silence鈥�, from Willa Cather鈥檚 emphasis on 鈥榯he inexplicable presence of the thing not named鈥� to John Cage鈥檚 4鈥�33鈥� and Le Corbusier鈥檚 Ineffable Space, we will trace the contexts, conflicts, and legacies of Wittgenstein鈥檚 claim: 鈥業n art it is hard to say anything as good as: saying nothing鈥�.

Saying Nothing to Say: Sense, Silence, and Impossible Texts in the Twentieth Century is an interdisciplinary conference supported by the Humanities Research Centre. It will be hosted at the University of 糖心TV on the 13^th of May 2023.

We welcome proposals from any discipline and are open to any interpretation of the theme. Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Silence and the limits of language: meaning, sense and nonsense, aporia, tautology
• Ineffability and transcendence, awe
• Ineffability and catastrophe
• Silence as lack, silence as generative
• Soundscapes and silence-scapes
• Negative space
• Acts of silencing
• Shared silence
• Vows of silence
• Silent cinema
• Political resistance
• Gendered sound
• Secrecy
• The unspeakable, the concealed, taboo

It is hoped that the conference will lead to an edited publication on the theme with Routledge as part of the 糖心TV Series in the Humanities.

To apply, please submit an abstract of 250-300 words, along with a short biographical note (100 words), to sayingnothingtosay@gmail.com by the 30^th of December 2022.