Atomism, Contextualism, and the Burden of Making Sense: Cavellian Themes in the Tractatus

Wittgenstein-Studien, German. 2013. Vol. 4. No. 1. P. 95–108.

Bronzo S.

The main claim of this paper is one that many readers will find surprising, namely that some central aspects of the Tractatus’ conception of language can be illuminated with the help of the philosophy of Stanley Cavell. One reason such a claim will seem surprising is that the Tractatus as standardly read is advancing an atomistic conception of language. The author rejects such a reading. He begins with an overview of the Tractatus’ contextualism and of the atomistic conception of language that it opposes. Then he shows how some Cavellian ideas can help us to make good sense of the Tractarian view. He shows (a) that according to Tractarian contextualism, language requires our personal contribution, i.e. the exercise of our own judgment. He suggests (b) that a desire to evade the need of this contribution is at least part of what explains why we are naturally attracted to the atomistic approach and find the Tractarian view disappointing. And finally (c), he spells out the sense in which such a conception of what is involved in the use of language reveals it to be characterized by a pervasive ethical dimension.

Keywords: Ludwig Wittgenstein, atomism, contextualism, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, Context Principle, Stanley Cavell, Language and Ethics