Routledge Philosophy Guidebook To Wittgenstein And The Philosophical Investigations

Routledge Philosophy GuideBook to Wittgenstein and the Philosophical Investigations ‘The movement of Wittgenstein’s thought, how the different topics hang together, why they come in the order they do—are all made clearer than in any other discussion I know. It assumes some basic knowledge of philosophy, but not much beyond that…anyone interested in Wittgenstein could read it with advantage.’ (Jane Heal, St John’s College, Cambridge) Wittgenstein is one of the small number of twentieth-century philosophers who is well known outside philosophical circles. This may be due to his exceptional life and personality and the number of biographies and memoirs written about him. However, it is also because his writing has the power to interest the non-specialist reader in a way that other works of philosophy do not. This GuideBook gives students a clear and concise reading of Wittgenstein’s most important work—the Philosophical Investigations. McGinn argues that the unique style of the Investigations makes it an exceptional work of literature as well as philosophy. Wittgenstein and the Philosophical Investigations will take the student through the text without getting bogged down in scholarly detail. This book is ideal for students who want to understand the text, the context of the work and the philosopher. Marie McGinn lectures in philosophy at the University of York. She is the author of Sense and Certainty: The Dissolution of Scepticism (1989). Routledge Philosophy GuideBooks Edited by Tim Crane and Jonathan Wolff University College London Kant and the Critique of Pure Reason Sebastian Gardner Mill on Liberty Jonathan Riley Mill on Utilitarianism Roger Crisp Wittgenstein and the Philosophical Investigations Marie McGinn Heidegger and Being and Time Stephen Mulhall Plato and the Republic Nickolas Pappas Locke on Government D.A.Lloyd Thomas Locke on Human Understanding E.J.Lowe Spinoza and the Ethics Genevieve Lloyd LONDON AND NEW YORK Wittgenstein and the Philosophical Investigations
Marie McGinn ROUTLEDGE Routledge Philosophy GuideBook to First published 1997 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane London EC4P 4EE British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street New York, NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data McGinn, Marie. Routledge philosophy guidebook to Wittgenstein and the Philosophical investigations/Marie McGinn. p. cm. —(Routledge philosophy guidebooks) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Philosophy. 2. Languages and languages—Philosophy 3. Semantics (Philosophy) I. Wittgenstein, Ludwig, 1889–1951. Philosophische Untersuchungen. II. Title. III. Series. B3376. W563P53255 1996 192–dc20 96–27227 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002. © 1997 Marie McGinn All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information stor