"Let us imagine...": Wittgenstein's Invitation to Philosophy

Authors

  • Beth Savickey University of Winnipeg

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15845/nwr.v4i2.3292

Keywords:

Wittgenstein Ludwig, language game, improvisation

Abstract

Wendy Lee-Lampshire writes that Wittgenstein’s conception of language has something valuable to offer feminist attempts to construct epistemologies firmly rooted in the social, psychological and physical situations of language users (1999: 409).  However, she also argues that his own use of language exemplifies a form of life whose constitutive relationships are enmeshed in forms of power and authority. For example, she interprets the language game of the builders as one of slavery, and questions how we read and respond to it.  She asks: “Who are ‘we’ as Wittgenstein’s reader(s)?” This is an important question, and how we answer offers insight not only into our own philosophical practices, but also into Wittgenstein’s use of language games. With the words “Let us imagine...”, Wittgenstein invites readers to participate in creative, collaborative, and improvisational language games that alter not only the texts themselves, but our relationship with others.

Author Biography

Beth Savickey, University of Winnipeg

Beth Savickey is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Winnipeg, Canada. She is the author of Wittgenstein’s Art of Investigation (Routledge) and Wittgenstein’s Investigations: Awakening the Imagination (Springer forthcoming). Her current research focuses on Wittgenstein and Performance Philosophy.

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Published

2015-12-21