Abstract
The present article discusses the relationship between the critique of language and social philosophy-in particular, with reference to the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. The opening section starts with an explanation of what it means to understand philosophy as critique. A variety of forms of language criticism is distinguished. It is against such a background that Wittgenstein’s philosophy is interpreted as a form of critique of language, which aims at an analysis of the mechanisms of linguistic reification and may be related to socio-philosophical analyses of reification. Wittgenstein’s understanding of philosophy as therapy may, in turn, be related to the emancipatory dimension of critical social philosophy. Finally, using the comparative example of our linguistic and real-life interaction with time, the argument comes to a close with a reflection concerning the extent to which criticism of language may manifest its potential as an apt tool serving the purpose of the critique of society.
