Wittgenstein and scepticism about meaning and rule-following : a Kripkean reading
Citation:
Thomas McNally, 'Wittgenstein and scepticism about meaning and rule-following : a Kripkean reading', [thesis], Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland). Philosophy Department, 2011, pp 238Download Item:
Abstract:
In this thesis, I propose a defence of Saul Kripke's interpretation of Wittgenstein's later discussion of meaning and rule-following. The most striking feature of Kripke's Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language (WRPL) is that it depicts Wittgenstein as a type of sceptic about meaning and rule-following. There are three specific components to this: firstly, that Wittgenstein developed a sceptical challenge to the view that we mean something by the words we use (or that we follow rules); secondly, that he believed that the challenge could not be met with a 'straight solution' and thus that he accepted a sceptical conclusion concerning meaning and rule-following; and thirdly, that he proposed a sceptical solution that
sought to present an alternative positive picture of the legitimacy of semantic discourse (of making utterances such as 'Jones means addition by "+"') while somehow accommodating
this sceptical conclusion. One of the major difficulties is that there is significant ambiguity
concerning all three of these components of Kripke's reading. I thus make the interpretation
of WRPL one of the central tasks of the thesis. The main claim that I defend is that when both
Wittgenstein and Kripke's Wittgenstein are properly understood, they can be seen to coincide
in essential respects. I argue that all three of these components of Kripke's sceptical reading
correspond to fundamental features of Wittgenstein's later philosophy.
Author: McNally, Thomas
Advisor:
Levine, JamesQualification name:
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)Publisher:
Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland). Philosophy DepartmentNote:
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Philosophy, Ph.D., Ph.D. Trinity College Dublin.Metadata
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