A "resolute" later Wittgenstein?
A "resolute" later Wittgenstein?
‘Resolute readings’ initially started life as a radical new approach to Wittgenstein’s early philosophy, but are now starting to take root as a way of interpreting the later writings as well – a trend exemplified by Stephen Mulhall’s latest book (2007), Wittgenstein’s Private Language, as well as by some recent work published in this journal (Hutchinson 2007; Harré 2008). In this paper I will show that there are neither good philosophical nor compelling exegetical grounds for accepting a resolute reading of the later Wittgenstein’s work. It is possible to make sense of Wittgenstein’s philosophical method without either ascribing to him an incoherent conception of ‘substantial nonsense’ or espousing the resolute readers’ preferred option of nonsense austerity. If my interpretation is correct, it allows us to recognize Wittgenstein’s radical break with the philosophical tradition without having to characterize his achievements in purely therapeutic fashion.
wittgenstein, therapy, resolute reading, nonsense, illusion, private language argument, reductio ad absurdum arguments
649-668
Schönbaumsfeld, Genia
586652b5-20da-47cf-9719-4fc587dfa4e8
October 2010
Schönbaumsfeld, Genia
586652b5-20da-47cf-9719-4fc587dfa4e8
Abstract
‘Resolute readings’ initially started life as a radical new approach to Wittgenstein’s early philosophy, but are now starting to take root as a way of interpreting the later writings as well – a trend exemplified by Stephen Mulhall’s latest book (2007), Wittgenstein’s Private Language, as well as by some recent work published in this journal (Hutchinson 2007; Harré 2008). In this paper I will show that there are neither good philosophical nor compelling exegetical grounds for accepting a resolute reading of the later Wittgenstein’s work. It is possible to make sense of Wittgenstein’s philosophical method without either ascribing to him an incoherent conception of ‘substantial nonsense’ or espousing the resolute readers’ preferred option of nonsense austerity. If my interpretation is correct, it allows us to recognize Wittgenstein’s radical break with the philosophical tradition without having to characterize his achievements in purely therapeutic fashion.
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Submitted date: January 2010
e-pub ahead of print date: 15 October 2010
Published date: October 2010
Keywords:
wittgenstein, therapy, resolute reading, nonsense, illusion, private language argument, reductio ad absurdum arguments
Organisations:
Philosophy
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Local EPrints ID: 80099
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/80099
ISSN: 0026-1068
PURE UUID: c246d4ef-75a7-4931-8638-15f86511154c
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Date deposited: 24 Mar 2010
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 00:35
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