Wittgenstein: A Religious Point of View? - Softcover

Malcolm, Norman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801482666 ISBN 13: 9780801482663

Publisher: Cornell University Press, 1995

Synopsis

Ludwig Wittgenstein once said to a friend, "I am not a religious man: but I cannot help seeing every problem from a religious point of view." This puzzling, but intriguing remark is the focus of Norman Malcolm's essay, which forms the centerpiece of this three-part work. Malcolm first draws together a large and illuminating collection of remarks made by Wittgenstein at various stages of his life and in many different contexts that express his attitude toward religion. He discusses some of the ways in which Wittgenstein was drawn to religious modes of thinking and speculates concerning the barriers which kept him from full religious commitment. With great vigor he discusses what be considers the most important features of Wittgenstein's philosophical work and the nature of and reasons for the changes which took place in his thinking between Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigation. He concludes by offering four analogies between Wittgenstein's philosophical methods and his religions attitudes generally. Peter Winch, who opens the volume with an introduction that places Malcolm's essay in the context of his other writings, concludes with a substantial critique of the proposed analogies and suggests an alternative reading of the "spiritual" dimension in Wittgenstein's inquiries.

About this title

About the Author

The late Norman Malcolm was the author of many books, including Wittgenstein: A Religious Point of View? also from Cornell. Malcolm spent the larger part of his career as a distinguished member of Cornell University's Sage School of Philosophy.

From the Back Cover

Malcolm first draws together an illuminating collection of remarks on religion made by Wittgenstein at different stages of his life and in various contexts. He explores some of the ways in which Wittgenstein was attracted to religious modes of thinking and speculates about the barriers that kept him from full religious commitment. He concludes by offering four analogies between Wittgenstein's philosophical methods and his religious attitudes generally.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0801482666
• ISBN 13: 9780801482663
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 152
• Editor: Winch Peter