Wittgenstein on Mind and Language / Edition 1

by David G. Stern

Overview

Drawing on ten years of research on the unpublished Wittgenstein papers, Stern investigates what motivated Wittgenstein's philosophical writing and casts new light on the Tractatus and Philosophical Investigations. The book is an exposition of Wittgenstein's early conception of the nature of representation and how his later revision and criticism of that work led to a radically different way of looking at mind and language. It also explains how the unpublished manuscripts and typescripts were put together and why they often provide better evidence of the development of his ideas than can be found in his published writing. In doing so, the book traces the development of a number of central themes in Wittgenstein's philosophy, including his conception of philosophical method, the picture theory of meaning, the limits of language, the application of language to experience, his treatment of private language, and what he called the "flow of life." Arguing that Wittgenstein's views are often much more simple (and more radical) than we have been led to believe, Wittgenstein on Mind and Language provides an overview of the development of Wittgenstein's philosophy and brings to light aspects of his philosophy that have been almost universally neglected.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195111477
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/29/1996
Edition description:	REPRINT
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.06(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.66(d)
Lexile:	1500L (what's this?)

About the Author

University of Iowa

Table of Contents

1.	Introduction	3
1.1.	The Wittgenstein Papers	3
1.2.	The Development of Wittgenstein's Philosophy	7
1.3.	Wittgenstein's Methods	14
I.	Wittgenstein's Early Philosophy
2.	Logic and Language	35
2.1.	The Picture Theory	35
2.2.	The Limits of Language	43
2.3.	Showing and Saying	47
3.	Subject and Object	53
3.1.	Logical Atomism	53
3.2.	Analysis in the Tractatus	60
3.3.	The Application of Language	65
3.4.	The Subjects of the Tractatus	69
II.	Wittgenstein's Later Philosophy
4.	From Logical Atomism to Practical Holism	91
4.1.	Wittgenstein's Later Writing	91
4.2.	Logical Form and Logical Holism	98
4.3.	Insight, Decision, and Practice	110
4.4.	From Logical Holism to Practical Holism	120
5.	The Description of Immediate Experience	128
5.1.	Philosophical Analysis and Primary Language	128
5.2.	Wittgenstein's Rejection of Primary Language	136
5.3.	The Magic Lantern Simile: Inside and Outside the Picture Theory	140
5.4.	The World as Idea	153
6.	The Flow of Life	160
6.1.	Why Language Cannot Say That "All Is in Flux,"	160
6.2.	Leading Words Back from Their Metaphysical Use	167
6.3.	Wittgenstein's Treatment of Private Language	175
6.4.	"Words Only Have Meaning in the Flow of Life,"	186
Appendix	Passages from the Unpublished Wittgenstein Papers (Nachlass)	193
	Bibliography	205
	Index	211
	Index of Quotations	223

Editorial Reviews

"A useful study....Clearly written and persuasively argued, this book is highly recommended."—Choice

"An original and fascinating account of the way in which Wittgenstein worked and of the development of his ideas. David Stern's mastery of the unpublished writings has made it possible for him to identify hitherto neglected connections of thought."—David Pears, Oxford University

"A revolution has been taking place in Wittgenstein studies in the last several years in that the significance of his notebooks and other previously unpublished primary materials for the understanding of his philosophy has slowly been realized and acted on. David Stern is keenly aware of this development, and his book is an important step in implementing it. As a consequence, no matter whether one ultimately agrees with his interpretations, one receives from his book a much more vivid picture of how Wittgenstein's philosophical mind worked than from virtually and other exposition of Wittgenstein's thought."—Jaakko Hintikka, Boston University

"I know of no other work that better combines both philosophical and literary techniques to the analysis of Wittgenstein's writings."—Robert Fogelin, Dartmouth College

"This book is a lucid and engaging account of Wittgenstein's thought....Stern's secrets are diligence, clarity, and impeccable scholarship. By sifting through Wittgenstein's endless circlings around his driving themes, by clearly charting Wittgenstein's slow growth from dogmatist to pluralist, by making sense of deeply enigmatic language, Stern gives you a book to make one of the most compelling and unique philosophers your own."—Randy Allen Harris, Globe and Mail

"David Stern's book provides a clear and on the whole persuasive analysis of Wittgenstein's philosophical development....Should become standard reading for all Wittgenstein scholars."—Philosophical Investigations

"What is distinctive about Stern's work is the combination of scholarly detail and philosophical acumen involved in the exposition he undertakes....This is an excellent book, which blends the biographical and philosophical aspects of Wittgenstein's work in admirable fashion."—Anthropological Linguistics

From the Publisher