This

One thing that really resonates with me is, "45. The demonstrative 'this' can never be without a bearer. It might be said: 'so long as there is a this, the word 'this' has a meaning too, whether this is simple or complex.' But that does not make the word into a name. On the contrary: for a name is not used with, but only explained by means of, the gesture of pointing" (161). This statement really got me thinking. When I type "define: this" into Google, this (yikes!) is what I get:

Pronoun: Used to identify a specific person or thing close at hand or being indicated or experienced: "is this your bag?".

Adjective: Used to identify a specific person or thing close at hand or being indicated or experienced: "don't listen to this guy."

Pronoun: To the degree or extent indicated: "they can't handle a job this big."

But does this really give me a definitive definition? I think not. These definitions imply that I am referring to something to be defined, but the reality is when looking up the definition for "this," what is "this" cannot be defined! Here, "this" is too ambiguous to be defined, for when looking for such a definition of "this", what is this of which you speak? This (oh no!) really gets the wheels turning in my head, and reveals to me how often the demonstrative "this" is used. It also reminds me of the song "This" by Darius Rucker, where the "this" in the song can be inferred, but can one ever really know? How can one know what "this" is if one can't truly define "this?!"

Over all, I agree with Wittgenstein in that "this" can never be without a bearer in order to understand and fully know what "this" actually is, and this (ha!) is something I have never thought of before.