Cold, Grammar, and the Quiet Gatekeeping of Philosophy

Philosophics — Philosophical and Political Ramblings · Dec 18, 2025 · 12m

The source, an essay by language philosopher Bry Willis, explores how everyday grammar subtly enforces deep philosophical assumptions and contributes to institutional "gatekeeping" within philosophy. Willis uses the seemingly trivial example of how different languages express feeling cold—as something one "is" (I am cold) versus something one "has" (I have cold)—to argue that grammatical structures are never neutral. These linguistic habits, which the author calls "ontological scaffolding," predispose speakers toward certain metaphysical commitments regarding identity, possession, and…