[lit-ideas] Re: Philosophical Investigations online
- From: Phil Enns <phil.enns@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:14:40 -0400
Julie K. wrote:
"Can some kind-hearted, patient soul on the list do a nutshell compare
& contrast for me of Derrida (I'm thinking particularly of Difference
and Margins of Philo) and W?"
Here is a summary from Samuel Wheeler's book, 'Deconstruction as
Analytic Philosophy'.
"First, both Derrida and Wittgenstein deny the possibility of the
perfectly transparent, magic words of thought so widely credited by
philosophers. These 'magic words' are the alleged meanings that
underlie the words of natural languages and that, unlike the words of
natural languages, cannot be misinterpreted. The correct
interpretation of such meanings is supposed to be built into their
very nature. The incoherence of the notion that there are such magic
words of thought is the core realization that drives the
deconstructions of Derrida and Wittgenstein, as well as those of
W.V.O. Quine, Nelson Goodman, and Donald Davidson, among others.
Second, Derrida and Wittgenstein both deny the existence of a given
that the terms of the magic language could designate. Such a given
could be the senses of the terms of the magic language, or a realm of
entities designated by terms, magic or not. In principle, one could
deny the magic language and yet believe in an ontological given. ...
On my understanding of Wittgenstein as a deconstructor, he is a
conservative deconstructor in something like Davidson's fashion. That
is, the fact that truth, necessity, meaning, and the like have no
foundation of the traditional kinds shows that foundationalism is
defective, not that truth, necessity, and meaning are nonexistent.
Philosophy will leave everything intact, for Wittgenstein."
In short, first, both agree that there are no words that belong to a
particular language, for example English or German, and make clear the
relationship between words in that language and something more true.
Second, both agree that there isn't a something else that determines
how language is true, necessary or meaningful.
Sincerely,
Phil Enns
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