Ineffability
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To say that something is "ineffable" means that it cannot or should not be spoken.
- "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent." - Ludwig Wittgenstein
- "If a person can't communicate, the very least he can do is to shut up." - Tom Lehrer
Things that are said to be ineffable include:
- The Tetragrammaton, or Yahweh (by orthodox Jewish tradition)
- Names of various villains in works of fiction, e.g. Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter books or the "Dark One" in The Wheel of Time sequence.
- The nature of qualia (sensory experiences)
- The nature of spiritual experiences