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Series:   Elements in the Philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein

Wittgenstein on Music

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2024

Eran Guter
Eran Guter
Affiliation:
The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College

Summary

In this Element, the author set out to answer a twofold question concerning the importance of music to Wittgenstein's philosophical progression and the otherness of this sort of philosophical importance vis-à-vis philosophy of music as practiced today in the analytic tradition. The author starts with the idea of making music together and with Wittgenstein's master simile of language-as-music. The author traces these themes as they play out in Wittgenstein early, middle, and later periods. The author argues that Wittgenstein's overarching reorientation of the concept of depth pertaining to music in the aftermath of his anthropological turn, and against the backdrop of the outlook of German Romanticism, culminates in his unique view of musical profundity as 'knowledge of people.' This sets Wittgenstein's view in sharp contrast with certain convictions and debates that typify current analytically inclined philosophy of music.
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Keywords

Wittgensteinmusicaestheticsaspectslanguage
Type
Element
Information
Series: Elements in the Philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein
Online ISBN: 9781009313742
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 11 April 2024

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Wittgenstein on Music
  • Eran Guter, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College
  • Online ISBN: 9781009313742
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Wittgenstein on Music
  • Eran Guter, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College
  • Online ISBN: 9781009313742
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Wittgenstein on Music
  • Eran Guter, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College
  • Online ISBN: 9781009313742
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