Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) has exerted a more powerful influence on contemporary philosophy than any other twentieth-century thinker. But what is the nature of this influence and why has it proved so enduring?
In Wittgenstein's Lasting Significance, twelve contemporary philosophers explore the issues surrounding Wittgenstein's importance and relevance to modern thought. Their articles, all of which are published here for the first time, cover the entirety of Wittgenstein's major publications: the Tracatus Logico-Philosophicus, Philosophical Investigations, On Certainty and Remarks on the Foundations of Mathematics. They discuss how much originality and continuity can be found in Wittgenstein's thought, how he relates to current traditions and movements within philosophy, and what we can learn from his conceptions of language, knowledge, mathematics and logic.
The international set of contributors are renowned for their work in both Wittgenstein studies and other fields of philosophy, making Wittgenstein's Lasting Significance an important collection for anyone interested in contemporary philosophy.
Contributors Introduction 1. Nonsense and Cosmic Exile: The Austere Reading of the Tracatus Meredith Williams What is the Tracatus About? Peter Sullivan 2. On Reading the Tracatus Resolutely: Reply to Meredith Williams and Peter Sullivan Cora Diamond and James Conant 3. Wittgenstein's Metaphilosophical Development Paul Horwich 4. Wittgenstein and the Life of Signs Jim Hopkin 5. Wittgenstein as Soil Lawrence Goldstein 6. Immodesty Without Mirrors: Making Sense of Wittgenstein's Linguistic Pluralism Huw Price 7. Wittgenstein's Remarks on Godel's Theorem Graham Priest 8. Scepticism, Certainty, Moore and Wittgenstein Crispin Wright 9. Wittgenstein, Truth and Certainty Michael Williams 10. A Second Wave of Enlightenment: Kant, Wittgenstein and the Continental Tradition Primin Stekeler Wittgenstein Bibliography
Biography
Max Kolbel is Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Birmingham, and the author of Truth Without Objectivity (Routledge, 2002). Bernhard Weiss is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Cape Town, and the author of Michael Dummett (2002).
'This book takes up the cause of relativism with an enjoyable mix of zeal and careful argumentation. Kölbel¹s book is invaluable for philosophers interested in the prospects for relativism or in problems of objectivity in general.' - Matthew McGrath in Philosophy and Phenomenological Research
'Swashbuckling Kölbel¹s book is clear, original, and stimulating. It is a refreshingly straightforward attempt to advance a relativism that will, at the very least, require the reader to think more carefully about how to approach in a different way the data Kölbel seeks to illuminate.' - Richard Fumerton in Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews'[An] intriguing new collection ... a valuable collection of papers, many of which will no doubt become required reading for anyone seriously interested in Wittgensteinian scholarship.' - Philosophical Investigations
