Child - Wittgenstein

Wittgenstein

Ludwig Wittgenstein (18891951) is considered by most philosophers even those who do not share his views to be the most influential philosopher of the twentieth century. His contributions to the philosophy of language and philosophy of mind as well as to logic and epistemology permanently altered the philosophical landscape, and his Tractatus Logico Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations continue to be studied in philosophy departments around in the world. In this superb introduction and overview of Wittgensteins life and work, William Child discusses:

Wittgensteins early work, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus: its account of language, thought, and logic; its metaphysical remarks; and its view of the limits of language

the transition from the Tractatus to Philosophical Investigations

Wittgensteins later philosophy of language

intentionality and rule-following

philosophy of mind and psychology

knowledge and certainty

philosophy of religion and anthropology

the legacy and influence of Wittgensteins ideas in philosophy, and beyond.

Including a chronology, glossary, and helpful conclusions to each chapter, Wittgenstein is essential reading for anyone coming to Wittgensteins philosophy for the first time.

William Child is a Fellow in Philosophy at University College, Oxford, and University Lecturer at the University of Oxford. He is author of Causality, Interpretation, and the Mind (1994), and co-editor (with David Charles) of Wittgensteinian Themes: Essays in Honour of David Pears (2001).

Routledge Philosophers

Edited by Brian Leiter

University of Chicago

Routledge Philosophers is a major series of introductions to the great Western philosophers. Each book places a major philosopher or thinker in historical context, explains and assesses their key arguments, and considers their legacy. Additional features include a chronology of major dates and events, chapter summaries, annotated suggestions for further reading and a glossary of technical terms.

An ideal starting point for those new to philosophy, they are also essential reading for those interested in the subject at any level.

Forthcoming:

William Child

Wittgenstein

This edition published 2011

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada

by Routledge

270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2011 William Child

The right of William Child to be identified as author of this work has been

asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Child, William (T. William)

Wittgenstein / by William Child.

p. cm.(Routledge philosophers)

Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.

1. Wittgenstein, Ludwig, 18891951. I. Title.

B3376.W564C53 2010

ISBN 13: 9780415312059 (hbk)

ISBN 13: 9780415312066 (pbk)

ISBN 13: 9780203817759 (ebk)

For Julia

Acknowledgements

Many people have helped me, in many ways, in the writing of this book.

I first learned about Wittgenstein from David Pears, who taught me as an undergraduate and graduate student in Oxford; from P. M. S. Hacker, who supervised my work on Wittgenstein as a BPhil student; and from John McDowell, with whom I studied the philosophy of logic and language for the BPhil. Their teaching and writings have had an enduring influence on my work.

I have learned an enormous amount from colleagues in Oxford and elsewhere with whom I have discussed Wittgenstein, and from written comments on my work. I am particularly grateful to Arif Ahmed, Anita Avramides, Tom Baldwin, Bill Brewer, John Campbell, David Charles, Naomi Eilan, Philippa Foot, Elizabeth Fricker, Jane Heal, Marie McGinn, Adrian Moore, Christopher Peacocke, Roger Squires, Peter Sullivan, Alberto Voltolini, and Tim Williamson.

A number of anonymous referees reviewed the proposal for this book and offered valuable advice and feedback. And four anonymous readers read the entire typescript for the publishers, making detailed comments and suggestions. Their advice has been extremely helpful and has led to many improvements.

I have discussed Wittgensteins work with several generations of undergraduate and graduate students whom I have taught in Oxford. I have been lucky to have had such consistently clever and committed students and I am grateful to them all.

Over the last ten years or so, I have presented work on or relating to Wittgenstein at conferences and workshops in Lund, Beijing, Bertinoro, Washington DC, Murcia, Canterbury, Lisbon, Stirling, Reggio Emilia, Santa Cruz, Aberdeen, Stockholm, Kirchberg, Hatfield, and Southampton. And I have given talks on Wittgensteinian themes at the Universities of Bristol, East Anglia, Nottingham, Oxford, Reading, Southampton, Vercelli, Warwick and York; at Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin; and at the Institute of the Czech Republic in Prague. I would like to thank the organizers of those events as well as the participants whose questions, comments, and criticisms of my contributions have been very helpful.

I am grateful to Julia Drown, Dexter Drown, and Ottilie Drown for much help and encouragement while I have been working on this book.

I would like to thank the Series Editor, Brian Leiter, for inviting me to write the book; and Tony Bruce and Adam Johnson from Routledge.

In , I have used some material that first appeared in my article Memory, Expression, and Past-Tense Self-Knowledge, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 73, 2006, pp. 5476. I am grateful to the editor and publishers for permission to do so.