Wittgenstein and Pragmatism: On Certainty in the Light of Peirce and James (History of Analytic Philosophy)

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. Front Matter....Pages i-xv Introduction: ‘A kind of Weltanschauung’....Pages 1-11 Front Matter....Pages 13-13 Chapter 1: Pragmatism in Wittgenstein Before On Certainty ....Pages 15-55 Front Matter....Pages 57-57 Chapter 2: Reasonable Doubts and Unshakable Certainties....Pages 59-98 Chapter 3: Common Sense and Weltbild ....Pages 99-137 Chapter 4: Action and the Pragmatic Maxim....Pages 139-178 Front Matter....Pages 179-179 Chapter 5: From Ground to Background....Pages 181-219 Chapter 6: Between Method and Weltanschauung ....Pages 221-261 Conclusion: ‘I’ll teach you differences’....Pages 263-270 Back Matter....Pages 271-311