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Wittgenstein and Pragmatism

On Certainty in the Light of Peirce and James

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  • © 2016

Overview

  • Uncovers the alleged pragmatist side of Wittgenstein’s later philosophy
  • Explores doubt, certainty, common sense, forms of life, action and the pragmatic maxim
  • Describes the relevance of Frank Ramsey in the development of Wittgenstein’s thought

Part of the book series: History of Analytic Philosophy (History of Analytic Philosophy)

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Before On Certainty

  2. Before <Emphasis Type="Italic">On Certainty</Emphasis>

  3. On Certainty

  4. Broadening the Perspective

Keywords

About this book

This book investigates the conflicts concerning pragmatism in

Wittgenstein’s work On Certainty, through a comparison with the

pragmatist tradition as expressed by its founding fathers Charles S. Peirce

and William James. It also describes Wittgenstein’s first encounters with

pragmatism in the 1930s and shows the relevance of Frank Ramsey in the

development of his thought. Offering a balanced, critical and theoretical

examination the author discusses issues such as doubt, certainty, common

sense, forms of life, action and the pragmatic maxim. While highlighting

the objective convergences and divergences between the two approaches,

the volume makes links to ongoing debates on relativism, foundationalism,

scepticism and objectivity. It will be of interest to anyone searching for new

perspectives on Wittgenstein’s philosophy.

Reviews

“It would be interesting to see how Wittgenstein’s unique style can be derived from a theory-neutral perspective that is perhaps more pragmatic than what was offered by the pragmatists, insofar as it is committed to no theory except to the extent that it helps us to avoid confusions.” (Cayla Clinkenbeard, Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal, Vol. 39 (2), 2019)

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    Anna Boncompagni

About the author

Anna Boncompagni (University of California, Irvine) works mainly on Wittgenstein’s later philosophy and on pragmatism, and is also interested in phenomenology, the history of analytic philosophy, and the philosophy of psychiatry. Her previous publications include “Elucidating Forms of Life: The Evolution of a Philosophical Tool”, Nordic Wittgenstein Review (2015) and Wittgenstein: Lo Sguardo e il Limite (2012).

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Wittgenstein and Pragmatism

  • Book Subtitle: On Certainty in the Light of Peirce and James

  • Authors: Anna Boncompagni

  • Series Title: History of Analytic Philosophy

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58847-0

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London

  • eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-58846-3Published: 30 December 2016

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-349-92799-9Published: 18 December 2020

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-58847-0Published: 20 December 2016

  • Series ISSN: 2634-5994

  • Series E-ISSN: 2634-6001

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XV, 311

  • Topics: Pragmatism, Analytic Philosophy

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