In Kevin Cahill & Thomas Raleigh (eds.), Wittgenstein and Naturalism. Abingdon: Routledge. pp. 79-95 (2018)
Authors |
|
Abstract |
Wittgenstein’s philosophy involves a general anti-platonism about properties or standards of similarity. On his view, what it is for one thing to have the same property as another is not dictated by reality itself; it depends on our classificatory practices and the standards of similarity they embody. Wittgenstein’s anti-platonism plays an important role in the private language sections and in his discussion of the conceptual problem of other minds. In sharp contrast to Wittgenstein’s views stands the contemporary doctrine of natural properties, which holds that there is an objective hierarchy of naturalness amongst properties, a hierarchy that is completely independent of our concepts or practices. Some authors have appealed to the natural properties view to offer an explicitly anti-Wittgensteinian account of sensation concepts. The paper discusses these competing views of properties and sensation concepts. It is argued that, if our account of concepts of conscious states starts from a commitment to natural properties, we are bound to recognize that our actual classificatory practices also play a crucial role in determining which properties our concepts pick out. On the other hand, if we start from the anti-platonist position, we are bound to recognize that we also need a notion of sameness of property that extends beyond our limited capacity to recognize similarity or sameness of property. The correct view, it is concluded, must occupy a middle position between an extreme anti-realism about properties and an extreme version of the natural properties view. It is suggested that Wittgenstein’s own view does just that.
|
Keywords | sensations natural properties private language argument Ludwig Wittgenstein Christopher Peacocke |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
Buy the book |
Find it on Amazon.com
|
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
Individualism and the Mental.Tyler Burge - 2003 - In John Heil (ed.), Philosophy of Mind: A Guide and Anthology. Oxford University Press.
Citations of this work BETA
Meaning, Use, and Supervenience.William Child - 2019 - In James Conant & Sebastian Sunday Grève (eds.), Wittgenstein on Philosophy, Objectivity, and Meaning. Cambridge University Press. pp. 211-230.
Similar books and articles
Non-Naturalism: The Jackson Challenge.Jussi Suikkanen - 2010 - In Russ Shafer-Landau (ed.), Oxford Studies in Metaethics 5. Oxford University Press. pp. 87-110.
Phenomenal Privacy, Similarity and Communicability.Thomas Raleigh - 2017 - Ergo: An Open Access Journal of Philosophy 4.
Is Wittgenstein Presenting a Reductio Ad Absurdum Argument in the ‘Private Language’ Sections of Philosophical Investigations §§ 243–315? [REVIEW]Derek A. McDougall - 2017 - Philosophical Quarterly 67 (268):552-570.
Phenomenal Concepts are Consistent with Wittgenstein’s Private Language Argument.Francois-Igor Pris - 2014 - NB: Philosophical Investigations (Russian E-Journal) 7:64-98.
Como aprendemos o que é dor? Uma análise crítica do §244 das Investigações Filosóficas de Wittgenstein.Julio Esteves - 2006 - Manuscrito 29 (2):479-498.
Why Care About Non-Natural Reasons?Richard Chappell - 2019 - American Philosophical Quarterly 56 (2):125-134.
Wittgenstein's Private Language Investigation.Francis Y. Lin - 2016 - Philosophical Investigations 39 (4).
Wittgenstein's Private Language Investigation.Francis Y. Lin - 2017 - Philosophical Investigations 40 (3):257-281.
Overall Similarity, Natural Properties, and Paraphrases.Ghislain Guigon - 2014 - Philosophical Studies 167 (2):387-399.
Are Natural Kinds and Natural Properties Distinct?Emma Tobin - 2013 - In Stephen Mumford & Matthew Tugby (eds.), Metaphysics and Science. Oxford University Press. pp. 164-182.
Natural Properties, Supervenience, and Mereology.Andrea Borghini & Giorgio Lando - 2011 - Humana Mente 4 (19):79-104.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2020-08-14
Total views
123 ( #94,981 of 2,506,348 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
27 ( #33,469 of 2,506,348 )
2020-08-14
Total views
123 ( #94,981 of 2,506,348 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
27 ( #33,469 of 2,506,348 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads