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Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus</Em> University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 8-6-2008 Three Wittgensteins: Interpreting the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus Thomas J. Brommage Jr. University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons Scholar Commons Citation Brommage, Thomas J. Jr., "Three Wittgensteins: Interpreting the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus" (2008). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/149 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Three Wittgensteins: Interpreting the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Thomas J. Brommage, Jr. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Philosophy College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Co-Major Professor: Kwasi Wiredu, B.Phil. Co-Major Professor: Stephen P. Turner, Ph.D. Charles B. Guignon, Ph.D. Richard N. Manning, J. D., Ph.D. Joanne B. Waugh, Ph.D. Date of Approval: August 6, 2008 Keywords: Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, logical empiricism, resolute reading, metaphysics © Copyright 2008 , Thomas J. Brommage, Jr. Acknowledgments There are many people whom have helped me along the way. My most prominent debts include Ray Langely, Billy Joe Lucas, and Mary T. Clark, who trained me in philosophy at Manhattanville College; and also to Joanne Waugh, Stephen Turner, Kwasi Wiredu and Cahrles Guignon, all of whom have nurtured my love for the philosophy of language. This essay also would not have been possible without Richard Manning, who helped me develop the topic (including haivng pointed me to the existence of the resolute reading), and read many early drafts of this essay—and who was not shy about pointing out the mis-steps I had made. I have also significantly benefited from discussions with Rebecca Kukla, Jeremy Kelly, and Peter Olen. Thanks also to everyone who provided support (both emotionally and academically). I couldn't have done it without you all. Table of Contents..................................................................................................................i Abstract...............................................................................................................................iii Wittgenstein and the History of Philosophy.......................................................................1 §1 History and Analytic Philosophy........................................................................1 §2 Three Wittgensteins............................................................................................6 §3 The Argument.....................................................................................................8 §4 Some Caveats about the Argument...................................................................13 Wittgenstein's Alleged Positivism......................................................................................16 §1 Introduction.......................................................................................................16 §2 Wittgenstein's Relation to the Vienna Circle....................................................19 §3 The Positivist Programme.................................................................................23 §4 Russell's Wittgenstein.......................................................................................33 §5 The Positivist Wittgenstein...............................................................................37 §6 Elementary Propositions and Verification........................................................42 §7 Evaluating the Positivist Wittgenstein: Ethics..................................................53 §8 Evaluating the Positivist Wittgenstein: Metaphysics........................................60 §9 Conclusion........................................................................................................67 Saying, Showing, Modeling...............................................................................................70 §1 Introduction.......................................................................................................70 §2 The Bild Theory................................................................................................73 §3 Correspondence without Confrontation............................................................81 §4 Saying and Showing.........................................................................................85 §5 Sense and Senselessness...................................................................................92 §6 Nonsense...........................................................................................................97 §7 A Self-Defeating Text?....................................................................................102 §8 Conclusion......................................................................................................106 Throwing Away the Ladder: The Resolute Reading........................................................107 §1 Introduction.....................................................................................................107 §2 Throwing Away the Ladder.............................................................................110 §3 Austere Nonsense............................................................................................119 §4 Not Chickening Out.......................................................................................129 §5 Imagination and Nonsense..............................................................................134 §6 Criticisms of the Resolute Reading I.............................................................141 i §7 Criticisms of the Resolute Reading II............................................................149 §8 Conclusion......................................................................................................155 Concluding Thoughts.......................................................................................................156 §1 Three Wittgensteins Revisited........................................................................156 §2 The Reification of History in the History of Philosophy................................160 List of Abbreviations........................................................................................................163 Bibliography....................................................................................................................164 About the Author....................................................................................................End Page ii Three Wittgensteins Thomas J. Brommage, Jr. ABSTRACT There are historically three main trends in understanding Wittgenstein's Tractatus. The first is the interpretation offered by the Vienna Circle. They read Wittgenstein as arguing that neither metaphysical nor normative propositions have any cognitive meaning, and thus are to be considered nonsense. This interpretation understands Wittgenstein as setting the limits of sense, and prescribing that nothing of substantive philosophical importance lies beyond that line. The second way of reading the Tractatus, which has became popular since the 1950s, is the interpretation which most currently accept as the early Wittgenstein's view; for this reason I refer to it as the 'standard reading.' According to this interpretation, Wittgenstein did not consider metaphysical and ethical discourse as nonsense. Rather, relying upon the distinction between saying [sagen] and showing [zeigen], he meant that these truths cannot be uttered, but instead are only shown. The standard reading can perhaps be best understood in contrast with the third interpretation, dubbed the “resolute reading.” The resolute reading takes seriously Wittgenstein's remark at 6.54 that “[m]y propositions are elucidatory in this way: he who understands me finally recognizes them as nonsense [unsinnig].” According to the resolute interpretation, Wittgenstein is not advancing a series of philosophical theses in the Tractatus. Rejecting the distinction characteristic of standard readings, between iii propositions without sense [sinnlos] and just plain nonsense [unsinnig], these interpreters read Wittgenstein as treating ethical and metaphysical inquiry, as well as a bulk of the doctrines in the text, as nonsense. To them, Wittgenstein did not intend to put forth any theses in the the text. Instead his methodology is therapeutic, similar to the later philosophy. It In this essay I explain each interpretation, and evaluate them in terms of textual and philosophical viability. I conclude by arguing that the biases which exist in the tradition of analytic philosophy substantively temper the interpretation of historical texts, which ultimately leads to the fundamental distinction between these three interpretations. iv Wittgenstein and the History of Philosophy §1 History and Analytic Philosophy In 1916, Wittgenstein wrote: “[W]hat has history to do with me? Mine is the first and only world.”1 Likewise, in the Preface to the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, he downplays any question of influence on his work by others. “I do not wish to judge how
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