The Mysticism of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus and “the Meaning of Life” by Richard McDonough
Abstract:
Wittgenstein’s Tractatus defines the “mystical” as that which can be “shown” but cannot be “said.” It is argued that there are two distinct notions of “showing” in the Tractatus, that which is “shown [zeigt]” by propositional symbols, and that which “shows itself [zeigt sich]”. This distinction is essential to understanding the mysticism of the Tractatus. Although the former notion has received the most attention, it is argued that the latter is more fundamental. The paper argues that the various species of the mystical in the Tractatus can, in a sense, be “said” after all. A sketch of the sense in which one can say “mystical” things is provided and distinguished from the sense in which one can “say” “genuine” (factual) propositions. The former resembles a “warranted assertibility” theory of meaning while the latter resembles a more traditional “truth conditions” theory of meaning. It is argued that the neglected Tractatus’ view that life and the world are one [sind Eins]” anticipates Husserl’s notion of the “life-world” some 16 years before Husserl announced that notion. The Tractatus life-world is my life-world (for any me). It is argued that the “mystical” in the Tractatus refers primarily to those aspects of the life-world that cannot be expressed in genuine propositions. Thus, although the Tractatus is best known for defending a seminal version of “logical atomism,” it actually holds that the organic unity of the life-world is lost in the process of analysis. It is shown how the present interpretation differs both from the “traditional” and the “resolute” interpretations of the Tractatus. Finally, the paper provides a taxonomy of the various species of Tractatus mysticism that illustrates these points.
Date: 2 November 2017
Time: 2pm to 4pm
Venue: Philosophy Meeting Room (AS3-05-23)
About the Speaker:
Richard McDonough received his BA in philosophy, with minors in mathematics and chemistry, summa cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh in 1971, his MA in philosophy from Cornell University in 1974, and his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1975. He was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow 1971-71 and a National Science Foundation Fellow 1971-74. He is the author of two books, over 80 articles in internationally referred journals, 5 encyclopedia and dictionary entries, and 11 book reviews. He has acted as a guest editor of an issue of Idealistic Studies titled Wittgenstein and Cognitive Science. He has taught at Bates College, the National University of Singapore, the University of Tulsa, the University Putra Malaysia, the Overseas Family College, the PSB Academy, the University of Maryland, the Arium Academy, and James Cook University. In addition to philosophy, he has taught psychology, physics, general humanities and writing courses. He is currently working on a book on Plato and a book on the development of Wittgenstein’s philosophy from the early Tractatus to his “later philosophy”
All are welcome