Abstract

This paper comprises a sketch of Wittgenstein's view of emotion. Addressed especially are his claims in the three books of his philosophical psychology published in the eariy 1980s: Remarks on the Philosophy of Psychology (two volumes) and Last Writings on the Philosophy of Psychology, Two suggestions are made. First, to understand Wittgenstein's view of emotion one must notice how he sees emotion as, characteristically, linked to its surroundings. Second, the 1980s publications contain some modification of a central theme in Wittgenstein's later philosophy: that inner processes need outward criteria. These suggestions are illustrated, elucidated and supported with textual material on his general account of emotion and then on his particular example of the emotion of fear.