DOCSLIB.ORG

Poetics of Philosophy Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, and the Art of Language

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Poetics of Philosophy Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, and the Art of Language POETICS OF PHILOSOPHY NIETZSCHE, WITTGENSTEIN, AND THE ART OF LANGUAGE PHILIP MILLS ROYAL HOLLOWAY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 2 Declaration of Authorship I Philip Mills hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, this is always clearly stated. Signed: ______________________ Date: 25th August 2018 3 4 Abstract My thesis elaborates a philosophy of poetry in two interrelated ways: a philosophical study of poetry and an exploration of the impacts of poetry on philosophical investigations. Whereas poetry was considered as one of the highest arts in the 18th and 19th century aesthetics, 20th century analytic aesthetics has left poetry aside, focusing much more on visual arts or music. The so-called ‘analytic-continental divide’ which has shaped the philosophical landscape in the 20th century provides an element of an answer to explain this disappearance: following the ‘linguistic turn,’ the dominant conception of language in the analytic tradition is the representational conception of language which fails to give an account of what happens in poetry. On the continental side, on the contrary, some philosophers such as Heidegger have gone as far as to consider philosophy as poetry. These two extremes map out two questions that a philosophy of poetry must answer: What conception of language can give an account of poetry? And how does poetry affect philosophical investigations, especially regarding the question of style? Nietzsche and Wittgenstein both offer interesting insights to answer these questions and bringing them together lead to reconsidering the analytic-continental divide and the ‘quarrel between philosophy and poetry.’ I approach poetry by transposing Wittgenstein’s notion of ’seeing- as’ to ‘reading-as,’ and bring this notion in relation to Nietzsche’s perspectivism. Following these ideas, I consider poetry as a way creating perspectives and elaborate the notion of ‘perspectival poetics’ in the etymological sense of poiesis, creation or making. Philosophy’s encounter with the language of poetry does not only entail a change in conception of language, but also a change in philosophy’s own use of language. Philosophy’s encounter with poetry brings the question of style to the fore and leads to reconsidering the relations between philosophy and poetry. 5 6 Table of Contents List of Abbreviations 9 Introduction: Poetry and the Question of Truth 11 Part One: Setting the Stage 23 Chapter One: Crossing the Analytic-Continental Divide: Metaphysics, Language, and Poetry 25 1. The Terms of the Debate: Analytic and Continental Philosophies 30 2. Metaphysics and Language: Connecting Nietzsche and Wittgenstein 36 3. Metaphysics, Language, and Poetry: A Short Story in 20th Century Philosophy 42 Chapter Two: Representation and Expression: The ‘Linguistic Turn’ in German Philosophy from Herder to Wittgenstein 63 1. ‘A Picture Held Us Captive:’ The Representational Conception of Language 66 2. A Shift to Expression: Herder, Hamann, Humboldt, and Lichtenberg 76 3. The Poetic View: Friedrich Schlegel and the German Romantics 89 Chapter Three: Connecting Nietzsche and Wittgenstein: The ‘End of Metaphysics,’ the ‘Linguistic Turn,’ and the Problem of Relativism 97 1. Three Problems of a Nietzschean and Wittgensteinian Philosophy of Language 102 2. Nietzsche, Metaphysics, and the Seduction of Language 107 3. Wittgenstein and the Traps of Language 118 4. From Logic to Relativism 130 7 Part Two: Perspectival Poetics 143 Chapter Four: Approaching Poetry After Nietzsche and Wittgenstein 145 1. What Is Poetry? 150 2. What Is Poetic Language? 163 Chapter Five: Towards a Perspectival Poetics 177 1. Nietzsche’s Perspectivism 180 2. A Poetic Worldview 196 Chapter Six: Metaphor: A Case Study in Poetics 205 1. From a Rhetoric Trope to a Way of Seeing the World 206 2. Metaphor ‘Refreshes the Intellect’ 213 3. Metaphors in Philosophy 218 Chapter Seven: Style in Philosophy 223 1. Style and Thought: Why Style Matters in Philosophy 229 2. Nietzsche’s and Wittgenstein’s styles 236 3. Style as Critique 248 Conclusion: Poetics of Philosophy (Or Philosophy and Poetry reconsidered) 255 Bibliography 265 8 List of Abbreviations Nietzsche AOM—Assorted Opinions and Maxims BGE—Beyond Good and Evil BT—The Birth of Tragedy D—Daybreak DD—Dionysus Dithyrambs DS—David Strauss, the Confessor and the Writer EH—Ecce Homo GM—On the Genealogy of Moral GS—The Gay Science HH—Human, All Too Human NF—Nachgelassene Fragmente (posthumous fragments) TI—Twilight of the Idols TL—On Truth and Lie in a Nonmoral Sense WS—The Wanderer and his Shadow Z—Thus Spoke Zarathustra Wittgenstein BB—Blue Book CV—Culture and Value LA—Lectures on Aesthetics LW—Last Writings on the Philosophy of Psychology, Volume 1 NB—Notebooks 1914-1916 PG—Philosophical Grammar PI—Philosophical Investigations PPF—Philosophy of Psychology—A Fragment (former second part of the Philosophical Investigations) RFM—Remarks on the Foundations of Mathematics RPP—Remarks on the Philosophy of Psychology, Volume 1 T—Tractatus Logic-Philosophicus Z—Zettel I refer to Nietzsche’s works by indicating the book title and the aphorism number as well as the Kritische Studienausgabe (KSA) volume and page number. When referring to the notebooks, I indicate the year and the note number as well as the KSA volume and page number. I refer to Wittgenstein’s works by indicating the book title and aphorism, page or proposition number (or date in the case of the notebooks). 9 10 Introduction: Poetry and the Question of Truth Like a painter, [the imitative poet] produces work that is inferior with respect to truth and that appeals to a part of the soul that is similarly inferior rather than to the best part. So we were right not to admit him into a city that is to be well-governed, for he arouses, nourishes, and strengthens this part of the soul and so destroys the rational one, in just the way that someone destroys the better sort of citizens when he strengthens the vicious ones and surrenders the city to them. Plato, The Republic, 605a-c When Plato banishes poets from his ideal city because they tell lies which corrupt the minds even of good citizens and thus evaluates poetry negatively, he opposes the poet’s task to the philosopher’s search for truth and, insofar as a city should not surrender itself to the vicious citizens, philosophy should not surrender itself to poetry. His banishing poetry from the ideal city can thus be understood as a metaphor for what he calls ‘an ancient quarrel between philosophy and poetry:’ the city is philosophy and poetry should not be admitted in it. Despite the modifications and evolutions of both the notions of poetry and of philosophy, Plato’s setting of poetry as philosophy’s ‘other’ seems to maintain an effectiveness for many philosophers in various periods in history and the latest development of this ‘ancient quarrel’ could be seen in the analytic-continental divide. In a schematic way, analytic philosophy would in this sense pursue Plato’s ideal of removing poetry from the philosophical realm whereas continental philosophy would work against this removal by embracing poetry as a means to knowledge and by including poetic elements. We will see that this picture is far too schematic but the rejection of poetry has also and above all had an impact on the field of analytic aesthetics. Poetry is, as John Gibson suggests in his introduction to The Philosophy of Poetry, ‘the last great unexplored frontier in contemporary aesthetics.’1 By ‘contemporary 1 Gibson (2015), p. 1. 11 aesthetics,’ one must understand here ‘analytic aesthetics’ as many continental philosophers of art have given a prime role to poetry, thus following the long tradition in which philosophers granted poetry the status of the highest art such as Kant or Hegel. The relations between philosophy and poetry are not only one-sided: philosophy does not only observe and study poetry from an external point of view but is also affected by poetry in return. Paradoxically, Plato himself, by staging his philosophy in dialogues uses a poetic device to express his philosophy. This might already suggest that philosophy cannot escape the question of its own presentation, the question of style, and this question is closely linked to philosophy’s relation to poetry. Against analytic philosophy’s turn to science and logic, continental philosophy could thus be seen as embracing poetry, and Plato’s distinction between the rationality of philosophy and the irrationality of poetry could therefore be transposed in terms of the logicism of analytic philosophy and the anti-logicism of continental philosophy. This picture is however quite misleading and the distinctions cannot be so easily pinned down. As I will argue, some bridges can be built between analytic and continental philosophers, especially between two of their important figures: Nietzsche and Wittgenstein. Nietzsche is among the philosophers who reply to Plato’s banishing of poetry by embracing it and, to that extent, he considers his philosophy to be an inverted Platonism: ‘My philosophy is an inverted Platonism: the further something is from true being, the purer, the more beautiful, the better it is. Living in illusion as the goal.’ (NF-1870-1871, 7[156] / KSA 7.199) This inversion therefore brings Nietzsche to adopt an attitude towards poetry fundamentally opposed to Plato’s: rather than criticising the poet’s distance from the truth, Nietzsche praises it because the whole idea of the ‘Truth’ is misleading according to him. His poem ‘Only fool, only poet!’ responds to Plato’s banishing of poetry from the realm of truth and explores precisely this question of truth and poetry: 12 ‘Der Wahrheit Freier—du?’ so höhnten ‘The free truth—you?’ sie They scoffed ‘nein! nur ein Dichter!’ ‘No! Only a poet!’ ein Thier, ein listiges, raubendes, A nasty, robbing, and schleichendes, crawling animal, das lügen muss, Who must lie, das wissentlich, willentlich lügen Must wisely, willingly lie, muss, Lusting for booty, nach Beute lüstern, Colorfully disguised, bunt verlarvt, Who is the masque, sich selbst zur Larve, Who is the booty himself, sich selbst zur Beute Is that—the free truth?..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Elisabeth Leinfellner.Indd
    Drei Pioniere der philosophisch-linguistischen Analyse von Zeit und Tempus: Mauthner, Jespersen, Reichenbach Elisabeth Leinfellner, Wien [A philosophical school in Tlön] reasons that the present is indefi nite, that the future has no reality other than as a present hope, that the past has no reality other than as a present memory. Jorge Luis Borges, Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius 1. Einleitung: die semantische Rolle der Tempora Unsere alltägliche, ,psychologische‘, aber auch die abstrakte newtonsche oder mathematische Vorstellung von Zeit – die ,klassischen‘ Zeitvorstellungen – laufen darauf hinaus, dass es eine einfache lineare Abfolge von Vergangen- heit-Gegenwart-Zukunft gibt. Analysiert man jedoch natürliche Sprachen, dann bietet sich ein anderes, komplexeres Bild: Würde man der einfachen, klassischen Vorstellung folgen, dann käme man in der Sprache mit drei Tempora aus: Präsens, Präteritum, Futurum. Ein Blick in die Grammatiken verschiedener Sprachen zeigt aber, dass es auch andere Tempora neben die- sen dreien gibt, so im heutigen Deutsch das Plusquamperfekt und das Fu- turum exactum. Gewisse Tempora und auch temporale Ersatzformen lösen mehr oder minder glücklich das Problem, dass z.B. in einer Erzählung im Präteritum manchmal auch im zeitlichen Rückgriff eine Vergangenheit vor der Vergangenheit dargestellt werden muss, oder eine Zukunft in der Ver- gangenheit. Die Ursachen für eine nicht chronologische Darstellung sind vielfältig, z.B. stilistisch-textliche oder dass wir uns an Ereignisse nicht im- mer in der richtigen Reihenfolge erinnern. Weiters muss die Verwendung der Tempora in erzählenden Texten die Rekonstruktion des chronologischen Ablaufs von Ereignissen erlauben, z.B. aus praktischen Gründen. Dass Texte keineswegs immer chronologisch geordnet sind, hat in verschiedenen Disziplinen und oft im Gefolge des russischen Formalismus zu einer Unterscheidung zwischen zwei zeitlichen Achsen geführt, der chronologischen Achse der Abfolge der Ereignisse, und F.
    [Show full text]
  • A History of Women Philosophers Vol. IV
    A HISTORY OF WOMEN PHILOSOPHERS A History of Women Philosophers 1. Ancient Women Philosophers, 600 B.C.-500 A.D. 2. Medieval, Renaissance and Enlightenment Women Philosophers, 500-1600 3. Modern Women Philosophers, 1600-1900 4. Contemporary Women Philosophers, 1900-today PROFESSOR C. J. DE VOGEL A History of Women Philosophers Volume 4 Contemporary Women Philosophers 1900-today Edited by MARY ELLEN WAITHE Cleveland State University, Cleveland, U.S.A. Springer-Science+Business Media, B. V. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Contemporary women philosophers : 1900-today / edited by Mary Ellen Waithe. p. cm. -- (A History of women philosophers ; v. 4.) Includes bibliographical references (p. xxx-xxx) and index. ISBN 978-0-7923-2808-7 ISBN 978-94-011-1114-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-011-1114-0 1. Women philosophers. 2. Philosophy. Modern--20th century. r. Waithe. Mary Ellen. II. Series. Bl05.W6C66 1994 190' .82--dc20 94-9712 ISBN 978-0-7923-2808-7 printed an acid-free paper AII Rights Reserved © 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 1995 Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover lst edition 1995 No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner. Contents Acknowledgements xv Introduction to Volume 4, by Mary Ellen Waithe xix 1. Victoria, Lady Welby (1837-1912), by William Andrew 1 Myers I. Introduction 1 II. Biography 1 III.
    [Show full text]
  • Models and Metaphors: Art and Science Álvaro Balsas; Yolanda Espiña (Eds.)
    Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia ISSN 0870-5283; 2183-461X Provided for non-commercial research and education use. Not for reproduction, distribution or commercial use. Metaphor in Analytic Philosophy and Cognitive Science Mácha, Jakub Pages 2247-2286 ARTICLE DOI https://doi.org/10.17990/RPF/2019_75_4_2247 Modelos e Metáforas: Arte e Ciência Models and Metaphors: Art and Science Álvaro Balsas; Yolanda Espiña (Eds.) 75, Issue 4, 2019 ISSUE DOI 10.17990/RPF/2019_75_4_0000 Your article is protected by copyright © and all rights are held exclusively by Aletheia – Associação Científica e Cultural. This e-offprint is furnished for personal use only (for non-commercial research and education use) and shall not be self-archived in electronic repositories. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. If you wish to self-archive your article, contact us to require the written permission of the RPF's editor. For the use of any article or a part of it, the norms stipulated by the copyright law in vigour are applicable. Authors requiring further information regarding Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.rpf.pt © 2019 by Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia | © 2019 by Aletheia – Associação Científica e Cultural Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia, Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências Sociais de Braga, Praça da Faculdade, N.º 1, 4710-297 Braga (Portugal). Phone +351 253 208 080. www.rpf.pt | [email protected] Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia, 2019, Vol. 75 (4): 2247-2286. © 2019 by Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia.
    [Show full text]
  • WISDOM (Tlwma) and Pffllosophy (FALSAFA)
    WISDOM (tLWMA) AND PfflLOSOPHY (FALSAFA) IN ISLAMIC THOUGHT (as a framework for inquiry) By: Mehmet ONAL This thcsis is submitted ror the Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Wales - Lampeter 1998 b"9tr In this study the following two hypothesisare researched: 1. "WisdotW' is the fundamental aspect of Islamic thought on which Islamic civilisation was established through Islamic law (,Sharfa), theology (Ldi-M), philosophy (falsafq) and mysticism (Surism). 2. "Due to the first hypothesis Islamic philosophy is not only a commentary on the Greek philosophy or a new form of Ncoplatonism but a native Islamic wisdom understandingon the form of theoretical study". The present thesis consists of ten chaptersdealing with the concept of practical wisdom (Pikmq) and theoretical wisdom (philosophy or falsafa). At the end there arc a gcncral conclusion,glossary and bibliography. In the introduction (Chapter One) the definition of wisdom and philosophy is establishedas a conceptualground for the above two hypothesis. In the following chapter (Chapter Two) I focused on the historical background of these two concepts by giving a brief history of ancient wisdom and Greek philosophy as sourcesof Islamic thought. In the following two chapters (Chapter Three and Four) I tried to bring out a possibledefinition of Islamic wisdom in the Qur'5n and Sunna on which Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), theology (A-alim), philosophy (falsafq) and mysticism (Sufism) consistedof. As a result of the above conceptual approaching,I tried to reach a new definition for wisdom (PiLma) as a method that helps in the establishmentof a new Islamic way of life and civilisation for our life.
    [Show full text]
  • John Barnden, Metaphor, Fiction and Thought
    Metaphor, Fiction and Thought John Barnden 1 Abstract. I will set out various un/underdeveloped opportunities 2 FICTION-BASED APPROACHES TO for AI, philosophy and metaphor research to interact, with prospects METAPHOR for distinctly new lines of research and approaches to old prob- lems. The opportunities I address in this paper are on the following I take a metaphorical expression such as “Ideas were whizzing topics: fiction-based accounts of metaphor, and a potentially result- around in his mind” to talk about a target scenario (here, a particular ing radical holism as regards the way metaphorical meaning arises state of the mentioned person’s mind and ideas) using the resources from discourse; an anti-analogy-extension thesis, supporting unlim- of a source subject matter (here physical objects and space).2 ited non-parallelism between source and target in metaphor; the idea In various disciplines, researchers have suggested variants of an that thought can be metaphorical, and perhaps even more deeply than approach to metaphor that rests on what we can call fictions. Roughly already mooted; deploying metaphor to solve a difficult problem in and briefly, under such an approach the hearer of a metaphorical sen- propositional attitude theory, which inludes the “meaning intention” tence uses the literal meaning of the sentence in context to (begin problem as a special case; the “cognitive addition” of metaphor in to) construct a fictional scenario expressed partly in source subject- language understanding, possibly leading to radical changes in how matter terms. The fictional scenario is similar to a partial world as de- one thinks of the semantics even of non-metaphorical sentences.
    [Show full text]
  • From Point to Pixel: a Genealogy of Digital Aesthetics by Meredith Anne Hoy
    From Point to Pixel: A Genealogy of Digital Aesthetics by Meredith Anne Hoy A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Rhetoric and the Designated Emphasis in Film Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Whitney Davis, co-chair Professor Jeffrey Skoller, co-chair Professor Warren Sack Professor Abigail DeKosnik Professor Kristen Whissel Spring 2010 Copyright 2010 by Hoy, Meredith All rights reserved. Abstract From Point to Pixel: A Genealogy of Digital Aesthetics by Meredith Anne Hoy Doctor of Philosophy in Rhetoric University of California, Berkeley Professor Whitney Davis, Co-chair Professor Jeffrey Skoller, Co-chair When we say, in response to a still or moving picture, that it has a digital “look” about it, what exactly do we mean? How can the slick, color-saturated photographs of Jeff Wall and Andreas Gursky signal digitality, while the flattened, pixelated landscapes of video games such as Super Mario Brothers convey ostensibly the same characteristic of “being digital,” but in a completely different manner? In my dissertation, From Point to Pixel: A Genealogy of Digital Aesthetics, I argue for a definition of a "digital method" that can be articulated without reference to the technicalities of contemporary hardware and software. I allow, however, the possibility that this digital method can acquire new characteristics when it is performed by computational technology. I therefore treat the artworks covered in my dissertation as sensuous artifacts that are subject to change based on the constraints and affordances of the tools used in their making.
    [Show full text]
  • A Rhetorical Model for Homiletics. Rodney Kennedy Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1990 The piE stemic Power of Metaphor: A Rhetorical Model for Homiletics. Rodney Kennedy Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Kennedy, Rodney, "The pE istemic Power of Metaphor: A Rhetorical Model for Homiletics." (1990). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 5063. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/5063 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps.
    [Show full text]
  • Linguistic Scepticism in Mauthner's Philosophy
    LiberaPisano Misunderstanding Metaphors: Linguistic ScepticisminMauthner’s Philosophy Nous sommes tous dans un désert. Personne ne comprend personne. Gustave Flaubert¹ This essayisanoverview of Fritz Mauthner’slinguistic scepticism, which, in my view, represents apowerful hermeneutic category of philosophical doubts about the com- municative,epistemological, and ontological value of language. In order to shed light on the main features of Mauthner’sthought, Idrawattention to his long-stand- ing dialogue with both the sceptical tradition and philosophyoflanguage. This con- tribution has nine short sections: the first has an introductory function and illus- tratesseveral aspectsoflinguistic scepticism in the history of philosophy; the second offers acontextualisation of Mauthner’sphilosophyoflanguage; the remain- der present abroad examination of the main features of Mauthner’sthought as fol- lows: the impossibility of knowledge that stems from aradicalisationofempiricism; the coincidencebetween wordand thought,thinkingand speaking;the notion of use, the relevanceoflinguistic habits,and the utopia of communication; the decep- tive metaphors at the root of an epoché of meaning;the new task of philosophyasan exercise of liberation against the limits of language; the controversial relationship between Judaism and scepticism; and the mystical silence as an extreme conse- quence of his thought.² Mauthnerturns scepticism into aform of life and philosophy into acritique of language, and he inauguratesanew approach that is traceable in manyGerman—Jewish
    [Show full text]
  • Attempting Art: an Essay on Intention-Dependence
    Attempting Art: an essay on intention-dependence Michel-Antoine Xhignesse Department of Philosophy McGill University, Montréal December 2016 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy © Michel-Antoine Xhignesse 2016 Table of Contents Dissertation abstract ................................................................................................................ iii Résumé de thèse ....................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1 – Introductory Remarks............................................................................................. 1 Chapter 2 – Art, Intention, and Intention-Dependence ............................................................ 9 2.1 – Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 9 2.2 – Intentional action ................................................................................................................. 11 2.3 – Intention-dependence vs. concept-dependence .................................................................... 18 2.4 – Accidents and Incidents ....................................................................................................... 22 2.5 – Separating Concept- and Intention-Dependence
    [Show full text]
  • Resounding Empathy
    Resounding Empathy: A Critical Exploration of Ricoeur’s Theory of Discourse, to Clarify The Self’s Reliance on Relationships With Other Persons by Benjamin Joseph Shank A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Institute for Christian Studies © Copyright by Benjamin Shank 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………1 1. Our Thesis Proposes a Ricoeurian self that is otherwise than Ricoeur’s own version...………………...……1 2. Our proposal is grounded in several philosophical, historical, and scientific contexts………………………2 3. Our contexts allow us to revisit Ricoeur on metaphor, narrative, the self, and recognition…...….………….7 4. In contrast to parts of Time and Narrative, we resound with those who influence us.…………...….9 5. Oneself as Another reveals a self enmeshed with the language that entwines us with others………….…...10 6. Linguistic anthropology reveals that empathy points to a primordial, inescapable connection…………….12 7. Integrating all four contexts reveals a self that is based on the polysemy and vitality of belonging…...…...14 CHAPTER ONE: THE GENESIS OF METAPHOR………………………………………………………………...16 1. Ricoeur’s description of metaphor emphasizes its qualities of being polysemic and being alive…………...16 2. Metaphor’s polysemic vitality relies on a suspension of literal reference…………………………………...17 3. Metaphor’s many meanings allow us to re-describe reality as it manifests……………….……………...…22 4. Metaphor casts meaning as poets do, opening possibilities philosophy has not historically considered…...27 5. Unfolding being through the possibilities of metaphor shifts truth from certitude to trust………………....32 6. Ricoeur presents the poet both as a perceptive genius and as a rhetor speaking to an audience……………36 7.
    [Show full text]
  • Aesthetics—What? Why? and Wherefore?
    KENDALL WALTON Aesthetics—What? Why? and Wherefore? It is a very great honor to address my friends and philosophy of quantum physics are younger. But colleagues as president of the American Society these are clearly subcategories of traditional, well- for Aesthetics, an organization that plays a unique established areas of philosophy—ethics and phi- role in a field that is, at once, a major traditional losophy of science—and they inherit much of their branch of philosophy and also central to disci- identity and sense of purpose from their parents. plines often regarded as remote from philosophy, Aesthetics is not so fortunate. It is related in vari- as well as depending crucially on their contribu- ous important ways to epistemology, metaphysics, tions. philosophy of mind, philosophy of language— I will follow the lead of one of my distinguished indeed it overlaps all of them—but these older predecessors in this office, Peter Kivy, who used relatives are at best aunts and uncles to aesthetics, the occasion of his own presidential address twelve not parents. Aesthetics must figure out for itself years ago to step back and reflect on the state of what exactly it is. the discipline and the nature of aesthetics.1 Two kinds of issues about the field need to be addressed: What is distinctive about this branch i. what is aesthetics? of philosophy, in contrast to others? And what is philosophy? Under the first heading, we will ask Aesthetics is a strange field, in some ways a con- what aesthetics is the philosophy of , what domain fused one.
    [Show full text]
  • Language As Metaphor P
    E-Revista de Estudos Interculturais do CEI – ISCAP N.º 3, maio de 2015 MAUTHNER VERSUS WITTGENSTEIN: LANGUAGE AS METAPHOR Paulo Barroso Escola Superior de Educação de Viseu Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e Linguagens da Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas – Universidade Nova de Lisboa [email protected] Abstract Mauthner esteemed language as a philosophical inquiry. He measured the philosophical entailments between language and reality and the consequent knowledge produced by such entailments. He questioned language’s aptitude to express and represent reality and, according to him, language is a critical source of knowledge and an unfaithful representation of reality, because there is a gap between language and reality, i.e. language distorts perception and engenders false and fictitious assumptions about reality. Language fosters superstition, creates gods and idols and exerts a dominating power over the intellect. Mauthner pointed out a critique of language based on metaphors, which would serve to address and clarify the deformation of reality. Wittgenstein, unlike himself suggested, was inspired by Mauthner. Both showed interest toward the critical analysis of language and there are many conceptual similarities between their language’s conceptions (e.g. concerning the use of metaphors to understand language). Therefore, this paper seeks a) to emphasize Mauthner’s metaphors on language as an accurate interpretation regarding the philosophical entailments between language and reality, and b) to demonstrate the epistemological legacy of Mauthner’s critique of language to Wittgenstein’s philosophy of language. Keywords: language; Mauthner; metaphor; philosophy of language; Wittgenstein. Resumo Mauthner encarava a linguagem como uma investigação filosófica. Assim, mediu os vínculos filosóficos entre linguagem e realidade e o consequente 1 conhecimento produzido por tais vínculos e questionou a aptidão da linguagem para expressar e representar a realidade.
    [Show full text]