Wittgenstein on Criteria and Practices

Lars Hertzberg

doi:10.1017/9781108946537

Series: Elements in the Philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein

Wittgenstein on Criteria and Practices

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 December 2022

Lars Hertzberg

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Lars Hertzberg: Affiliation:
Åbo Akademi University, Finland

Summary

In the interpretive literature from the 1950's through the 1970's the term 'criterion' was thought to be a central key to the understanding of Wittgenstein's later philosophy. Later on, it was relegated from this place of honour to being one of a variety of expressions used by Wittgenstein in dealing with philosophical questions. This Element tries to account for the shifting fate of this concept. It discusses the various occurrences of the word “criteria” in the Philosophical Investigations, argues that the post-Wittgensteinian debate about criteria was put on the wrong track by a problematic passage in Wittgenstein's early Blue Book, and finally gives an overview of the main contributions to this debate, trying to achieve a reconciliation between the rival conceptions.

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Wittgenstein criteria practice philosophy of mind philosophy of language

Type: Element
Information: Series: Elements in the Philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108946537 [Opens in a new window]

Online ISBN: 9781108946537

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication: 05 January 2023

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