Philosophy of Language in Connection with the Consciousness - Case Study Example

Philosophy of Language The most well-known and visible part of the philosophy of consciousness by Wittgenstein was critical. The first challenge posed by Wittgenstein was harsh criticism of the theory of knowledge as part of philosophical metaphysics, from his point of view, false and therefore inefficient. If you bear in mind the concept of "consciousness" created under the influence of Cartesian philosophy, a consistent criticism of it in the analytic philosophy, for example dethronement "Descartes Myth" from G. Riley, of course, relies in its reasoning on the conceptual reasoning and conclusions of Wittgenstein. If the conduct of historical and philosophical parallels, the criticism taken by Wittgenstein, can be compared with the criticism of the notion of "I" in empiric criticism and pragmatism, when the concept is recognized as a "sign", the use of which may be useful in everyday practice, but in science it is only illusory and leads to intractable problems. But if James and Avenarius base their criticism on the position of empirical descriptions, in the first instance through the reduction of feelings, while the second - to a state of consciousness, then Wittgenstein reveals the philosophical and psychological concepts through a critique of language. Criticism of the theoretical systems is also based on the interpretation of Wittgenstein who supplemented them by the psychological states of the "common sense". The source of errors in the first and the second case should be considered as form of our everyday language, arranged in such a way that certain ideas seem natural and therefore taken for the truth, but are not actual.(Mulhall, 2008) In considering the positive nucleus of Wittgenstein philosophy of consciousness it is necessary, above all, to draw attention to the fact that his proposed concept of consciousness is an integral part of the overall conceptual approach to the philosophical and scientific issues. In other words, the philosophy of consciousness, as it is represented in the "Philosophical Studies", is a natural development of the ideas embodied in the philosophy of language as a whole, as a sound theoretical instructions, and therefore an adequate understanding is impossible without taking into account the wider context. With respect to awareness of the direct examination of Wittgenstein to become psychological concepts of operation, i.e. response to a question, how they work. Here we should mention two topics which occupy a special place in the philosophy of the late Wittgenstein - "personal language" (related to the notion of the problem of "other peoples conscience") and "adherence to the rule." The peculiarity, Wittgenstein repeatedly emphasizes, and which underlies a number of theoretical findings, there is asymmetry in the use of psychological concepts from the first and third person.( Saul, 1991) Individual or personal language (i.e. language specifically (arbitrarily) established solely for the purpose of fixation of individual sensations), on the other hand, is incompatible with the requirements of the normative. Thus eliminates the argument of personal language, however, the notion of consciousness, which is appropriate to it. Consciousness as the inner essence, to which there is a subject of privileged access, according to Wittgenstein, simply does not exist. The fact that we used to call "consciousness" (and its various states and acts) is primarily because the notion of context is always included to language game, and is linked to any particular circumstances. Of course, a significant role in the withdrawal of the plays change from internal to external, expressible in the language and realized in behavior. The latter led to the reason why Wittgenstein is viewed as a representative of behaviorism. In the literature, the issue remains a subject of sharp debate. To my mind, although there are all the main features of this position in Wittgenstein’s philosophy, his own point of view defines "amendment" to the creative design of linguistic reality: the behavior becomes meaningful only to the extent that it is commensurate with the language game, i.e. receive language interpretation. (Thornton, 1998) The use of language, its indicating function, is social in nature, i.e. the nature of sociality inherent initially. The relationship of thought and language is also entitled to the original, and thus any subaudition any (think internal) mental act is entitled to be called as such only by virtue of their linguistic manifestations. Phenomena of understanding relying, free, imagination, etc., in terms of Wittgenstein, does not constitute an isolated process or function of consciousness, and therefore can not refer to a unique definition and explanation. (Mulhall, 2008) As in the case of language we are dealing only with the "family similarity": the phenomena of consciousness are not classified according to species and generic, which imply the ultimate reduction to a common ground, and in accordance with the set of language games in which they show themselves. The reality of phenomena of consciousness in a way - this is the reality of the use of appropriate concepts. In contrast to the reality of the traditional and the unduly attributed to them the reality of the use of revealing their true meaning. In this sense, language does not conceal, however, requires a special technique to observe the principles and features of his work, than, in fact, and should be the focus of Wittgenstein’s philosophy. Another important function serves as the thesis of social language. ( Saul, 1991) If the extreme consequence of subject-object metaphysics is a methodological solipsism, the philosophy of language by Wittgenstein is from the outset focused on "intersubjective understanding and interpretation of the world." In my opinion, this claim needs to be corrected. In fact, removing the problem of solipsism, Wittgenstein, however, remains a pluralist, i.e. defends irreducibility of different "forms of life" (and their respective cultures) to each other. But where the total is reflected only in the form of "family similarities" discussion about finding semantic equivalents, translation of one culture to another, it becomes problematic. In other words, understanding requires a field, and, according to Wittgenstein, the search for such common ground may not always lead to a positive outcome. The concept of language games by Wittgenstein, therefore, can be considered as an alternative to traditional mental dictionary of philosophy of consciousness. The extent to which the philosophy of consciousness, focusing on the subject, took a description of the process of learning and understanding in the philosophy of Wittgenstein took description language games in which the words and the intention of becoming meaningless. On this issue it is possible to say that understanding the meaning is only within a certain language game. Already on the other hand, we returned to the point made earlier about the ban on the definition and compilation in the field of psychology and philosophy of consciousness - of any meaning attributed to terms (words) in addition to the language the game is empty or false. Picture of the world, built in accordance with the philosophy of language of the late Wittgenstein, has nothing to do with the picture of the world, in which the language of the items and represented the state of affairs or events. In fact, the idea of the relevance of language and the world in the late Wittgenstein differs not only from the ideas of "Logical-philosophical treatise, but in the whole from paradigmatic for European philosophy of the picture of the world. Language games do not reflect and describe the world, and create a world, cutting it by the standards of its basis - "life forms". The activities and the field of not told, if such a setting issue, define the world, but remain outside it. World is what has been understood or that the same thing, what is the printed by language. (Thornton, 1998) The thoughts of Wittgenstein aimed to study the simplest, primitive forms of language, which reveals the way to the use of words, as opposed to complex, conceptual statements that conceal or distort the everyday use of language. The language game is viewed by Wittgenstein as both - context and historical activity. Pointing to the fact that the language game of action and speech are closely related, Wittgenstein is opposed to a purely theoretical consideration of language as a formal structure, the paintings, a set of values. The aim of Wittgenstein is showing that all forms of experiences and activities, even those traditionally considered non-linguistic, represent a manifestation of language and can not be outside it. Thus, as Wittgenstein writes, "the term" language game "is intended to emphasize that to speak the language - component or form of life." Language is a set of language games, which brings together more than the global context, practice, life. Each language is a form of life, which includes language games, speech, practice: "to imagine any language is to provide a form of life." The form of life is a global context, including the most reason to limit language, culture and practices, bringing together the language game. This is the language, understood as a whole. However, the notion of "language" contains no reference to the practices, activities, and has traditionally been understood too narrowly. Therefore, Wittgenstein uses the concept of life forms, which, like language games, stresses the relationship of language and action, language and life, including social, practical and historical ties. (Mulhall, 2008) This understanding of language resists understanding of language in the "Logical-philosophical treatise" and the positivist tradition, as initially recognized decent, randomness and variability of language, its dependence on cultural, social and historical situations, the multiplicity of language games and forms of life: "The plurality does not constitute something sustainable, once and for all this, on the contrary, there are new types of language, or it is possible to say the new language games, while others become obsolete and forgotten." ( Saul, 1991) Moreover, Wittgenstein is convinced that the language is always worked, and it is an intelligence test utterance. When the language is seen as something passive, like a static structure, then, and there are philosophical problems: "Philosophical problems arise when language resides in idleness." Idle or empty contemplation metaphysics actively opposes the use of language, which is includes its meaning. Wittgenstein believes that adherence to the rule is a sort of practice that can not be done theoretically, or thought: "Rule can not be followed only "privately": otherwise thinking that people follow the rule, and follow the rule would be the same." At the very notion of the rules laid down the possibility of multiple repetitions of that requires objective paradigm of language games, i.e., social practices carried out by different individuals. The main characteristic of language is produced by the regularity of action available to all, but do not belong to anyone individually. For an explanation of understanding the rule, the use of language is not necessary to invoke the processes of consciousness, or intuition. The rules do not always need a rationale, the more scientifically: the set of practices carried out unconsciously, but it is also an important part of language, like those of science. Wittgenstein emphasizes that the existence of rules in any language reveals its practical nature, the possibility of a repetition of the same acts, shows its rootedness in the cultural and social contexts. The basic principle of the concept of language is the recognition of total linguistic experience in which thinking and reality are always the form of linguistic expression, without being self-sufficient ontological "things in themselves." In support of his thesis Wittgenstein said that any type of experience, including experience of consciousness can be considered as a language game, i.e. as a contextual activity in which the notion of gaining value. There is no point in talking about something outside of language games, because This immediately lead to the production of intractable problems (in the spirit of the philosophy of the New Time), about how words are associated with feelings, speech - with the facts, the consciousness - the language, etc. (Thornton, 1998) The popularity of philosophy of Wittgenstein between the representatives of non-analytical flow due to the fact that Wittgenstein is used as a source of fresh ideas to refresh exhausted transcendental-phenomenological concepts. The new impetus that was given to modern philosophy does not reflect the pessimism about the future of the philosophy that Wittgenstein repeatedly expressed in the text. As in the case of "The Logical philosophical treatise”, ethical orientation that was mainly seen only as a source of new concepts, language, values and consciousness. As Wittgenstein stresses, it is absurd to seek something outside of language when the language is left unattended: "We did not analyze the phenomenon (eg, thinking), but the concept, and hence, the use of the word." Works cited Kripke Saul , Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language, Wiley-Blackwell, 1991 Mulhall Stephen , Wittgensteins Private Language: Grammar, Nonsense, and Imagination in Philosophical Investigations, Oxford University Press, USA, 2008 Thornton Tim , Wittgenstein on Thought and Language, Edinburgh University Press, 1998 Read More