Thursday 10/11

Philosophical Investigations, 37-88

Discussion Questions

First Question: When Language Goes on Holiday

Wittgenstein famously claims, in the midst of a discussion of naming at 38, that "...philosophical problems arise when language goes on holiday. What does he mean by this, and why particularly does it come up in the context of naming?

Second Question: On Composition and Simplicity

46 - 48 spells out an important argument against the atomism Wittgenstein embraced in the Tractatus. What is his argument?

Third Question: Family Resemblance

What is Wittgenstein's conception of family resemblance (67), and how is he using it in the context of games?

Fourth Question: The Normative Science

What do you make of Wittgenstein's interpretation (81) of Ramsey's comment that logic is a 'normative science'? That is, how would you explain it, especially to someone who has not worked through the Tractatus?