Wittgenstein's "Lecture on Ethics" concludes with a paradox: all ethica... more Wittgenstein's "Lecture on Ethics" concludes with a paradox: all ethical and aesthetic value judgements are either relative, and thus completely trivial (since reducible to statements of fact), or absolute and important but nonsensical (since they go beyond meaningful language). While this distinction is embedded in a Tractarian conception of language and value, Wittgenstein's treatment of it in the Lecture points forward to his later work, especially through its use of examples of "what we would say when". But it is not until he frees himself from the Tractarian constraints on language and value that he can take in the full force of these kinds of considerations about use, and describe aesthetics in a satisfactory way. Examples from Wittgenstein's later treatment of aesthetics show how the earlier unconditional distinction between relative and absolute value is understood instead as grammatical distinction within a family of different language-games involving aesthetic evaluation and appreciation.
David Hilbert claimed that all mathematical problems can be solved. While Ludwig Wittgenstein agr... more David Hilbert claimed that all mathematical problems can be solved. While Ludwig Wittgenstein agrees, he also wants to distinguish between different uses of the word ‘problem’. ‘Open problems’ in mathematics are often understood as being expressed by mathematical propositions that are undecided in the sense that they are not known to be provable or disprovable within currently accepted systems of mathematics. Wittgenstein thinks, controversially, that it is nonsensical to treat such ‘propositions’ as genuine mathematical propositions. On the other hand, he does not want to claim that it is illegitimate for mathematicians to concern themselves with problems such as Goldbach's conjecture, or Fermat's last theorem. This article explores the way Wittgenstein dealt with these issues in the early 1930s, focusing on his treatment of Fermat's theorem. It also looks at how Wittgenstein's treatment of these issues reflects a development towards a less dogmatic view of what is ...
J.S. Mill has formulated a classical statement of the "argument from analogy� concerning k... more J.S. Mill has formulated a classical statement of the "argument from analogy� concerning knowledge of other minds: "I must either believe them [other human beings] to be alive, or to be automatons� (Mill 1872, 244). It is possible that Wittgenstein had this in mind when writing the following: "I believe he is suffering.�—Do I also believe that he isn"t an automaton? It would go against the grain to use the word in both connexions. (Or is it like this: I believe he is suffering, but am certain the he is not an automaton? Nonsense!) Suppose I say of a friend: "He isn"t an automaton�.—What information is conveyed by this, and to whom would it be information? To a human being who meets him in ordinary circumstances? What information could it give him? (At the very most that this man always behaves like a human being, and not occasionally like a machine.) "I believe he is not an automaton�, just like that, so far makes no sense. My attitude towards him is an attitude towards a soul [eine Einstellung zur Seele]. I am not of the opinion that he has a soul. (PI p. 178) Here Wittgenstein contrasts opinion (Meinung) and attitude (Einstellung). How should this contrast be understood? On a view such as Mill"s, to regard someone as a conscious being is to hold certain beliefs about him, beliefs that can perhaps ultimately be grounded in a theory of some sort. To have an "attitude towards a soul� is, on the contrary, to see a person"s gestures and facial expressions as "filled with meaning�. We have an attitude towards a soul when confronted with a person, which means that we react to his presence and behaviour in a certain way.
Introduction to the anthology Wittgenstein: the Philosopher and his Works, a wide-ranging collect... more Introduction to the anthology Wittgenstein: the Philosopher and his Works, a wide-ranging collection of essays containing eighteen original articles by authors representing some of the most important recent work on Wittgenstein. It deals with questions pertaining to both the interpretation and application of Wittgenstein’s thought and the editing of his works. Regarding the latter, it also addresses issues concerning scholarly electronic publishing. The collection is accompanied by a comprehensive introduction which lays out the content and arguments of each contribution. Contributors: Knut Erik Tranøy, Lars Hertzberg, Georg Henrik von Wright, Marie McGinn, Cora Diamond, James Conant, David G. Stern, Eike von Savigny, P.M.S. Hacker, Hans-Johann Glock, Allan Janik, Kristóf Nyíri, Antonia Soulez, Brian McGuinness, Anthony Kenny, Joachim Schulte, Herbert Hrachovec, Cameron McEwen.
Wittgenstein's "Lecture on Ethics" concludes with a paradox: all ethica... more Wittgenstein's "Lecture on Ethics" concludes with a paradox: all ethical and aesthetic value judgements are either relative, and thus completely trivial (since reducible to statements of fact), or absolute and important but nonsensical (since they go beyond meaningful language). While this distinction is embedded in a Tractarian conception of language and value, Wittgenstein's treatment of it in the Lecture points forward to his later work, especially through its use of examples of "what we would say when". But it is not until he frees himself from the Tractarian constraints on language and value that he can take in the full force of these kinds of considerations about use, and describe aesthetics in a satisfactory way. Examples from Wittgenstein's later treatment of aesthetics show how the earlier unconditional distinction between relative and absolute value is understood instead as grammatical distinction within a family of different language-games involving aesthetic evaluation and appreciation.
David Hilbert claimed that all mathematical problems can be solved. While Ludwig Wittgenstein agr... more David Hilbert claimed that all mathematical problems can be solved. While Ludwig Wittgenstein agrees, he also wants to distinguish between different uses of the word ‘problem’. ‘Open problems’ in mathematics are often understood as being expressed by mathematical propositions that are undecided in the sense that they are not known to be provable or disprovable within currently accepted systems of mathematics. Wittgenstein thinks, controversially, that it is nonsensical to treat such ‘propositions’ as genuine mathematical propositions. On the other hand, he does not want to claim that it is illegitimate for mathematicians to concern themselves with problems such as Goldbach's conjecture, or Fermat's last theorem. This article explores the way Wittgenstein dealt with these issues in the early 1930s, focusing on his treatment of Fermat's theorem. It also looks at how Wittgenstein's treatment of these issues reflects a development towards a less dogmatic view of what is ...
J.S. Mill has formulated a classical statement of the "argument from analogy� concerning k... more J.S. Mill has formulated a classical statement of the "argument from analogy� concerning knowledge of other minds: "I must either believe them [other human beings] to be alive, or to be automatons� (Mill 1872, 244). It is possible that Wittgenstein had this in mind when writing the following: "I believe he is suffering.�—Do I also believe that he isn"t an automaton? It would go against the grain to use the word in both connexions. (Or is it like this: I believe he is suffering, but am certain the he is not an automaton? Nonsense!) Suppose I say of a friend: "He isn"t an automaton�.—What information is conveyed by this, and to whom would it be information? To a human being who meets him in ordinary circumstances? What information could it give him? (At the very most that this man always behaves like a human being, and not occasionally like a machine.) "I believe he is not an automaton�, just like that, so far makes no sense. My attitude towards him is an attitude towards a soul [eine Einstellung zur Seele]. I am not of the opinion that he has a soul. (PI p. 178) Here Wittgenstein contrasts opinion (Meinung) and attitude (Einstellung). How should this contrast be understood? On a view such as Mill"s, to regard someone as a conscious being is to hold certain beliefs about him, beliefs that can perhaps ultimately be grounded in a theory of some sort. To have an "attitude towards a soul� is, on the contrary, to see a person"s gestures and facial expressions as "filled with meaning�. We have an attitude towards a soul when confronted with a person, which means that we react to his presence and behaviour in a certain way.
Introduction to the anthology Wittgenstein: the Philosopher and his Works, a wide-ranging collect... more Introduction to the anthology Wittgenstein: the Philosopher and his Works, a wide-ranging collection of essays containing eighteen original articles by authors representing some of the most important recent work on Wittgenstein. It deals with questions pertaining to both the interpretation and application of Wittgenstein’s thought and the editing of his works. Regarding the latter, it also addresses issues concerning scholarly electronic publishing. The collection is accompanied by a comprehensive introduction which lays out the content and arguments of each contribution. Contributors: Knut Erik Tranøy, Lars Hertzberg, Georg Henrik von Wright, Marie McGinn, Cora Diamond, James Conant, David G. Stern, Eike von Savigny, P.M.S. Hacker, Hans-Johann Glock, Allan Janik, Kristóf Nyíri, Antonia Soulez, Brian McGuinness, Anthony Kenny, Joachim Schulte, Herbert Hrachovec, Cameron McEwen.
Review of Arthur Danto: Unnatural Wonders.
Published in Philosophy in Review/Comptes rendus philo... more Review of Arthur Danto: Unnatural Wonders. Published in Philosophy in Review/Comptes rendus philosophiques 2009 Vol. XXIX.(3) pp. 17-19
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Published in Philosophy in Review/Comptes rendus philosophiques 2009 Vol. XXIX.(3) pp. 17-19