Wittgenstein

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Wittgenstein

• Language Games

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Ludwig Wittgenstein 1889-1951

• Key text
• Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus
• Described as a tortured genius - led a complex
  life
• Interested in the Logical Positivists but
  rejected their ideas

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• The meaning of words is in their use
• Language performs a function agreed by
• a particular group or society using that
• language
• Each activity has its own language,
• rather like a game that has its own set of
• rules

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• People not in the game will be unable to
  understand the use of the language.
• If people do not understand the language it will
  seem meaningless to them.

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• Yes, in his first innings at county level he has
  bowled a maiden over

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y'awright? Got nuff bling innit?
go off maaaan
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What about religious language?

• Religious belief has its own language
• A non-believer will find religious language
  meaningless as they are not playing the religious
  game
• An outsider cannot claim that language used in a
  particular games is meaningless just because it
  doesnt make sense to them

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I think, therefore I am
Not according to Wittgenstein
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• Individuals cannot create a private language
• How would they know they were using the right
  words?
• Language is a social product

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What do you think
?
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Some criticisms of Wittgenstein
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• It may be that non-believers are able to
  understand religious language better than
  believers because they have an objective view
• People are not religious believers in isolation.
  They also have other circles of interest and so
  are involved in other language games. This means
  that religious language is not isolated from
  other language common ground may allow for
  understanding by non-believers who can decide for
  themselves whether religious language has meaning
  for them.
• If people from different faith traditions have
  different rules for their language games then how
  can they hold a discussion about the existence of
  God?