Vinten Wittgenstein and the Social Sciences

Action, Ideology and Justice
1. Auflage 2020
ISBN: 978-1-78527-313-1
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 236 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 454 g

Reihe: Anthem Studies in Wittgenstein

In Wittgenstein and the Social Sciences, Robert Vinten takes a fresh look at the relationship between Wittgenstein’s philosophy and the social sciences. The book locates Wittgenstein’s philosophy in relation to the social sciences. This involves getting clear about what Wittgenstein was doing in his philosophical work as well as about the nature of the social sciences. Vinten argues that the social sciences can be considered scientific despite the fact that social sciences have different methods and subject matter to the natural sciences. He then examines problems associated with relativism within the social sciences and considers whether Wittgenstein might be a relativist of some sort. The book goes on to consider whether Wittgenstein’s philosophy lends support to any particular political ideology and asks an important question: whether Wittgenstein himself was a conservative, liberal, or socialist. This question is explored involving a critical engagement with Wittgenstein scholars, cultural theorists, and political philosophers such as J. C. Nyiri, Richard Rorty, Alex Callinicos, Perry Anderson, and Terry Eagleton. Finally, the book considers how Wittgenstein’s philosophical remarks can help us in getting to grips with problems in the social sciences and political philosophy. A criticism of Patricia Churchland and Christopher Suhler’s neurobiological account of control suggests that Wittgenstein’s work can be useful in getting rid of problems concerning freedom of the will. A critical engagement with thinkers like John Rawls and Chantal Mouffe is used to examine the relevance of Wittgenstein’s philosophy to discussions of justice. Wittgenstein’s work is clearly relevant to issues of injustice that are with us today.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Vinten, Robert

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Ideologien
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Sozialphilosophie, Politische Philosophie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part 1 The Nature of Philosophy and of Social Science; 1. Is There Such a Thing as a Social Science?; 2. Wittgenstein and Relativism; Part 2 Does Wittgenstein’s Work Have Ideological Implications?; 3. Was Wittgenstein a Conservative Philosopher?; 4. Was Wittgenstein a Liberal Philosopher?; 5. Leave Everything as It Is; 6. Eagleton’s Wittgenstein; Part 3 Applying Wittgenstein’s Work to Problems in Social Philosophy; 7. Wittgenstein and Freedom of the Will; 8. Wittgenstein and Justice; Bibliography; Index.

Über Autor(innen)

Robert Vinten is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in Lisbon, Portugal, working on a project concerned with Wittgenstein and religious epistemology. He studied history and philosophy in Glasgow, going on to obtain a doctorate at Universidade Nova in Lisbon in Wittgensteinian philosophy.