The Good, the Bad and the Creative: Language in Wittgenstein’s Philosophy

Abstract

This introductory chapter presents the reader with various ways of approaching the topic 'Wittgenstein and the creativity of language'. It is argued that any serious account of the questions arising from this joint consideration of, on the one hand, this great genius of philosophy and, on the other, the varieties of speech, text, action and beauty which go under the heading 'the creativity of language' will have to appreciate the potential of both, in terms of breadth as well as depth. First, the chapter points out a way of understanding Wittgenstein's discussion of rules and rule-following in relation to meaning and normativity which, in virtue of respecting Wittgenstein's own creativity as a writer, does not fall prey to a widespread source of misunderstanding. Next, Wittgenstein's uses of language receive some additional attention (i.e. his use of analogies, metaphors, punctuation and other literary and rhetorical devices), before a glimpse is offered of an unravelling of the knot that is Wittgenstein and the creativity of language. The multiple interrelated threads here lead into areas of human concern ranging from the philosophy of language and logic through to ethics, aesthetics and politics. Finally, the chapter offers an overview of the contents of the book from the perspective of its editors.Creativity is generally regarded as a good thing; to say of someone that they are creative is usually meant as a compliment. This is most certainly true in the arts but also, to a certain degree, in the sciences: think of the revolutionary work of Galileo, Einstein and Darwin, for instance. But what if what we are aiming to achieve is less the creation of something new but, rather, rigour and analysis, as is the case, for example, in mathematics? And what of philosophy? Again, generally, [p. 4] creativity would definitely seem a good thing for anyone engaging in these kinds of activity. And, indeed, it generally seems to be agreed

An articulation of geopolitics otherwise? Indigenous language‐use in spaces of Arctic geopolitics

“…These are insights deriving as much from the concepts and terminology Wittgenstein developed 3 (seeMedby, 2019a) as from the ways in which he did so: in other words, Wittgenstein's own language-use.Wittgenstein's style of writing is influenced by his analytical training, characterised by brief aphorisms and sequentially numbered paragraphs. However, in PI these short sections vary between a seemingly explanatory tone and rhetorical questions(Grève & Mácha, 2016): 'the form of a conversation between multiple voices -voices that are rarely clearly identified or demarcated'(Stern, 2017, p. 43; see alsoCavell, 1999). The latter is perhaps reminiscent of exchanges between peers or between tutor and student.…”