Wittgenstein Essays

`Where did we come from?', `Why are we here?', `Where are we going?'. These are questions which surface, centre stage, at some point in most people's lives. For philosophers, and others, they constitute the core problem known traditionally as the Meaning of Life. It might be thought that the first task in considering the question of the `Meaning of Life' is to define the key terms: `Life' and `Meaning'. However, the meanings of `Meaning' are many; and `Life' itself could be seen as not so much

same as the love of the absolute in the specific – the former explains the latter’s drive to the most general principles, the most all-encompassing theories. I’ve found this conception to gel with the most varied repositionings of wonder, from Wittgenstein and Kant to Heidegger and Levinas: it’s simply formal, which means it accommodates and is presupposed by all sorts of content (ethical wonder, wonder at being, etc.). This also lets me talk about wonder as it appears in those philosophers even

A Plea for a Peircean Turn in Analytic Philosophy ABSTRACT: Criticisms of analytic philosophy have increased in intensity in the last decade, denouncing specifically its closing in on itself, which results in barrenness and ignorance of real human problems. The thought of C. S. Peirce is proposed as a fruitful way of renewing the analytic tradition and obviating these criticisms. While this paper is largely a reflection on Hilary Putnam’s study of the historical development of analytic philosophy

The Significance of Philosophical Scepticism In answer to the question 'What can we know?' anyone who gives a pessimistic answer is labelled a sceptic. Scepticism is associated with incredulity. A sceptic is someone who questions things (particularly received opinions) and also practices suspension of judgement. This questioning outlook has been labelled by some as practical scepticism. However, philosophical scepticism involves more than this. Its essential element is a general view about

Eduardo Paolozzi played an immeasurable role in the artistic development of the Independent Group (IG) in England in the 1950s and 1960s. Through his collages, prints, and sculptures, Paolozzi shaped the proto-pop movement in England by reacting to mass consumer culture and modernity as it was perceived to be advancing in the United States. As Lawrence Alloway argues, “Since 1953, Paolozzi has pursued the human in art,” connecting dissimilar objects, themes, and image sources to form new and evocative

University of Phoenix Material Verbal and Nonverbal Coding Worksheet Part A: Nonverbal Instructions: Respond to each question below in complete sentences with at least 150 words. Include at least one example from the reading materials that supports your position in your response. 1. Is a smile a universal nonverbal form of communication? Why or why not? Provide specific examples in your answer. I would say yes, that the smile is a nonverbal form of communication all over

communicate with others, to share our emotions and ideas, and as a result, learning a language becomes an instinct for each individual. Language is the device used for communication, Ludwig Wittgenstein, an Austrian philosopher on language, said, “The limits of my language are the limits of my world”. By this Wittgenstein

On Moore’s paradox and its solutions The meaning of assertion and belief is an important topic in philosophy of language. One of intriguing problems in this area is Moore’s paradox, which tries to explain why Moore’s statements cannot be sincerely asserted without absurdity. The purpose of this paper is to explain and explore the reason for absurdities in Moore’s paradox. Specially, I will first offer certain background knowledge on logical and performative contradiction, and then proceed to analyze

“A man will be imprisoned in a room with a door that’s unlocked and opens inwards, as long as it does not occur to him to pull rather than to push.” Ludwig Wittgenstein This chapter begins with the walls between people. People tend to form barriers of trust and communication. They feel they cannot be open and honest, therefore they cut people off from seeing their vulnerable sides. Tearing down these walls can help strengthen our relationships. We have to think, “we” not “me.” I have never been one

The Art Question Formalism As Clive Bell defined it, in what many considered to be a defense of Cezanne, art is a manmade thing possessing “significant form” in a “combination of lines, shapes and colors in certain relations”. In another way of expressing it, and one which would be taken up as a criticism of the term and artists who embraced it, it could be “art for art’s sake,” dependent on no outside context or understanding of the content, and available to any “sensitive viewer” (which won’t