Philosophy Now The Linguistic Wizardry of Ludwig Wittgenstein
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Jun 22, 2014 Guest Daniel Hutto discusses Ludwig Wittgenstein's theories of language and its limits. Topics include Wittgenstein's shift in understanding language, the distinction between measurable and factual claims, Wittgenstein's picture theory of language, the meaning and use of language, and the critique of a private language.
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Picture Theory Of Meaning
- Wittgenstein's early Tractatus proposes a picture theory: propositions 'picture' possible states of affairs rather than assert metaphysical entities.
- Logical propositions are shown rather than said, so philosophy's substantive claims collapse into silence.
Logic Shows, It Doesnt Tell
- Wittgenstein argues logical truths (tautologies/contradictions) are true but say nothing about the world.
- He treats them as non-representational rules that reveal structure without stating facts.
Limits: Sayable Versus Unsayable
- 'What can be said can be said clearly; what we cannot say we must pass over in silence' frames Tractatus' boundary between sense and the unsayable.
- Ethics and metaphysics lie beyond language's picturing limits and must be remained silent about.