Philosophical Investigations Essays

  • Wittgenstein's Children: Some Implications for Teaching and Otherness

    3274 Words  | 7 Pages

    Wittgenstein uses children in his philosophical arguments against the traditional views of language. Describing how they learn language is one of his philosophical methods for setting philosophers free from their views and enabling them to see the world in a different way. The purpose of this paper is to explore what features of children he takes advantage of in his arguments, and to show how we can read Wittgenstein in terms of education. Two children in Philosophical Investigations are discussed. The feature

  • Wittgenstein and the Grammar “Pain” and the Approach to the Private Language Argument

    1490 Words  | 3 Pages

    discuss some ways how Wittgenstein approached meaning in general and the meaning of “pain” in particular. I would discuss ways how Wittgenstein showed how confusing the grammatical function of psychological words such as pain, lead to nonsensical philosophical problems. Furthermore, I will present a version of the private language argument, as Wittgenstein showing that the idea of private language depends on the misunderstanding of the grammar of sensation language, of how sensation language gets its

  • Ludwig Wittgenstein

    1495 Words  | 3 Pages

    published in 1921, provided new insights into relationships between the world, thought, language and the nature of philosophy by showing the application of modern logic to metaphysics via language. His later philosophy, mostly found in Philosophical Investigations, published posthumously in 1953, controversially critiqued all traditional philosophy, including his own previous work. In this essay I will explain, contrast and evaluate both stages of his philosophy, highlighting strengths and weaknesses

  • Language Games, Writing Games - Wittgenstein and Derrida: A Comparative Study

    3235 Words  | 7 Pages

    think that the game has a strategic role. Second, both philosophers stress that their game is not a founded game but is bounded to knowledge and forms of knowledge. Wittgenstein and Derrida are two spurs, éperons of philosophical thinking, who changed the milieu of philosophical discourses. They practice new arts of thinking and writing, which lead to a change of paradigm and of style in philosophy. In the case of late Wittgenstein the change manifests in a critical attitude toward modern logical

  • Response to Bitzer's Rhetorical Situation

    2243 Words  | 5 Pages

    In The Rhetorical Situation, Lloyd F. Bitzer argues that what makes a situation rhetorical is similar to that which constitutes a moral action as he writes that, “an act is moral because it is an act performed in a situation of a certain kind; similarly, a work is rhetorical because it is a response to a situation of a certain kind”.(3) By defining the rhetorical situation in this way, Bitzer further contends that rhetoric is a means to altering reality. (4) It is through the use of discourse that

  • Wittgenstein's 1913 Objections To Russell's Theory of Belief: A Dialectical Reading

    2401 Words  | 5 Pages

    Wittgenstein's 1913 Objections To Russell's Theory of Belief: A Dialectical Reading ABSTRACT: In what follows, I give (following Burton Dreben) a dialectical reading of his dismissal of metaphysics and of Wittgenstein's objections to Russell in 1913. I argue that Wittgenstein must be read as advocating no particular theory or doctrine — that is, philosophy is an activity and not a body of truths. Furthermore, this insistence is thoroughgoing. Put differently, a dialectical reading must be applied

  • The Great Work of Ludwig Wittgenstein on Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ludwig Wittgenstein was an Austrian-British philosopher who contributed significantly in the fields of mathematics, logic, and language. The work he contributed throughout his life can be split into two parts, his earlier and later work. Arguably his greatest contribution came from his earlier works, mostly from the “Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus”. According Biletzki, Wittgenstein “addresses the central problems of philosophy which deal with the world, thought and language, and presents a “solution”

  • Extended Definition Of Success Essay

    788 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ever since the times of the BC era, wealth had defined success (Definition of Success). A wealthy person of those times would be looked at as a superior being, they would be someone you’d show respect for. They were successful. Although that's the definition of success back then, does it mean something different now? Like every human being, and every past structure of society, the definition evolves with time because society's’ values change. The definition of the word “success” was often considered

  • Fodor’s Misconstrual of Wittgenstein in the Language of Thought

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    not in fact against Fodor’s theory, and ii) Wittgenstein’s private language argument “isn’t really any good” (70). In this paper I hope to show that Fodor’s second claim is patently false. In aid of this I will consider Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations (243-363), Jerry Fodor's The Language of Thought (55-97), as well as Anthony Kenny’s Wittgenstein (178-202). First I shall summarize Wittgenstein’s argument; then I will examine Fodor’s response and explain why it is fallacious. In my

  • Ethics and Community in Aristotle

    5410 Words  | 11 Pages

    themes in his Topics-sameness and difference, part and whole, better than, etc. These are tools for all dialectical investigations into being and action (viz. Top. I.11 104b2) for they secure definitions and get at essences of things or their aspects. Reflecting structures of being and good, they allow Aristotle to arrive at objective reality and good. Being tools for all investigations into being and values, we are not free to reject them, nor can we have any discourse or claim to reality or good.

  • Laidlaw by William McIlvanney

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    wasn't just because of the quality and origin of the author and the setting , it was because of the infuriating character of Cheif Detective Inspector Jack Laidlaw , he is the main character and the most memorable one.  He is the spearhead of the investigations into the murder of a teenage girl , he has to do this in a city of hard men, villains and fat cat businessmen.  To look more deeper into the mysterious character of Laidlaw and his personality , we need to look at his interests and prejudices

  • Philosophical Anthropology

    2994 Words  | 6 Pages

    Philosophical Anthropology ABSTRACT: Philosophers cannot avoid addressing the question of whether philosophical anthropology (that is, specifically philosophical inquiry about human nature and human phenomenon) is possible. Any answer must be articulated in the context of the nature and function of philosophy. In other words, philosophical anthropology must be defined as an account of the nature of the subject of philosophical thinking. I argue that if philosophical thinkers admit that they

  • Plotinus, Augustine, Aquinas, K.Wojtyla on Person and Ego

    3219 Words  | 7 Pages

    it to the reality of the human being has sparked the present investigation of the philosophical anthropology of four thinkers from the late ancient, medieval, and contemporary periods. Although it may seem that the question of the role of the "I" with respect to the human being hinges on the larger problem of objectivity v. subjectivity, this does not seem to be the case. Many topics, however, are necessarily entailed in this investigation such as individuality and universality, soul and body, consciousness

  • The Significance Of Hegel's Phenomenology Of Spirit

    4185 Words  | 9 Pages

    Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit One of the most difficult philosophical works ever written is Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit. In the "Introduction" to this work, Hegel attempts to aid his readers by describing the project that he carries out. But like so many things written by Hegel, the "Introduction" itself is formidable and very difficult to understand. In this paper, I attempt to "make sense" of the "Introduction" and, thus, contribute to the understanding of the Phenomenology. To achieve

  • Nietzsche as Free Spirit and New Philosopher

    1846 Words  | 4 Pages

    (Nietzsche Preface, 36, 211). Other examples are present in the work, but these will suffice to show that this work is of an experimental nature. In the end, Nietzsche is not advocating a new dogma. Beyond Good and Evil is an explanation and a philosophical argument, but it is also an experiment, a creative attempt at a method of interpreting the world. Like other free spirits and new philosophers - if any have arrived yet - Nietzsche has liberated from the prejudices of previous philosophers that

  • The British Avant-Garde: A Philosophical Analysis

    3203 Words  | 7 Pages

    The British Avant-Garde: A Philosophical Analysis ABSTRACT: British Avant-Garde art, poses a challenge to traditional aesthetic analysis. This paper will argue that such art is best understood in terms of Wittgenstein¡¦s concept of "seeing-as," and will point out that the artists often use this concept in describing their work. This is significant in that if we are to understand art in terms of cultural practice, then we must actually look at the practice. We will discuss initiatives such as the

  • Philosophy of Money

    2719 Words  | 6 Pages

    Philosophy of Money This article is an attempt to sketch a philosophical view of money as a social phenomenon. I show that the way to understand the substance of money is to analyze its meaning as a medium of exchange in connection with its meaning as a purpose of exchange, thereby providing an investigation of its social value. This approach has been used by many of the great philosophers and economists of the past, but not today. Modern economics is a policy oriented theoretical discipline and

  • Personal Gods, Deism, & ther Limits of Skepticism

    3710 Words  | 8 Pages

    In order to continue our discussion of the legitimate philosophical, scientific, and religious aspects of the science and religion quagmire we need a frame of reference to guide us. What I present here is an elaboration on a classification scheme proposed by Michael Shermer. (5) Shermer suggests that there are three worldviews, or "models," that people can adopt when thinking about science and religion. According to the same worlds model there is only one reality and science and religion are two

  • Wittgenstein's Dilemma

    4296 Words  | 9 Pages

    Wittgenstein's Dilemma Either language can be defined or it can be investigated empirically. If language is defined then this will be mere tautology. If language is investigated empirically then this will lead to a substantial yet contingent truth. The cure for this dilemma for Wittgenstein in his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus was to submit the doctrine that the structure of language cannot be said but only shown. This doctrine is vague and misconceived. In this essay, I will show that

  • Can virtue be taught?

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    Meno's question. Although he is not particularly keen on answering whether virtue can be taught without first having a complete understanding of what virtue is, he attempts to please Meno by solving this in the way that geometers conduct their investigations, through a hypothesis. Socrates states that if indeed virtue can be taught then one thing will happen, and if it cannot a different thing will happen. In the end of the play, the conclusion is reached that virtue is a gift from the gods. Now the