Bergman's view on the History of philosophy can be characterised as a heuristic doctrine which helps the philosophical pedagogue. Some problems arising from Bergman's religious way of thinking are revealed as underpinning the objections to it, as there are: the multiplicity of systems, the possibility of acquiring final truth, etc. In spite of these objections Bergman's ideas can be maintianed as a very efficient means for a teacher of academic philosophy.
Can Humpty Dumpty be seriously taken as expounding and exemplifying a possible attitude to language? Mr. Tennessen has taken the view that this is so. It is argued here that (a) his view bears close resemblance to some recent criticisms of Wittgenstein's theory of language-games, (b) that while Tennessen's descriptive statements about the expansion of language are mostly correct, (c) his constituting this as a vindication of the Humpty Dumpty attitude is wrong. One of Tennessen's examples is analysed and his (...) account of it is shown to be faulty. (shrink)
