Wittgenstein

BBC Radio

Wittgenstein -the good, the not-so-good, and the ugly. The good things are, Wittgenstein's early notions about language as a game and his observation that the world is made up of facts, not of things. The not-so-good, is Wittgenstein's philosophy of mind, which led to behaviorism and similar theories. The ugly: Wittgenstein's attacks on philosophy and philosophers in general, as well as the cult of personality that developed surrounding him and his later work.

The "linguistic turn" in 20th century philosophy. Wittgenstein combined the logical systems of Frege and Russell with his own insights to create a new way of looking at the way we use language. The accomplishments of Frege and Russell and the explosion of developments in formal logic which really led to the underpinnings of modern computer science. Difference between formal Logic with a big-L and everyday logic. Wittgenstein tried to integrate these notions under the guise of human language.

Truth and argument. Wittgenstein observes those who discuss everyday matters and those who argue philosophical doctrines. This talk of logic as a "scaffolding" of the world which conditions all of our interactions leads to the discussion of Wittgenstein's unique theory of language. The distinction between "saying" and "showing". The early and late Wittgenstein. His disillusionment with the idea that we can make wide universal statements about logic or even morality. The ethical arguments in Wittgenstein's work. The development of ethics from Kant to Wittgenstein. The methodological points that Wittgenstein makes. Is philosophy useful? If it doesn't answer universal questions, what questions can it answer?

Conceptions and misconceptions about Wittgenstein, Wittgenstein's legacy and influence in cognitive science and linguistics. Language as a game and logic as a universal framework.