Essentialism
A Wittgensteinian Critique
Published on 27. September 1991
Book
Paperback/Softback
237 pages
978-0-7914-0774-5 (ISBN)
Description
Reviews / Votes
"This book develops Wittgenstein's account of language, and uses it to criticize a number of current philosophers and their writings. Wittgenstein argued that the act of our using a single expression to label a number of different things is no evidence that these things possess a single essence. Hallett identifies a number of current essentialists, and argues that they have simply misunderstood the workings of language. He provides an explanation why philosophers persist in this mistake, and proposes therapies to get philosophers to stop making it." - John T. Kearns, State University of New York at Buffalo"This book is valuable for its willingness to confront the comprehensive presence of essentialism in contemporary philosophical thought, and to confront it from an intelligent and discriminating Wittgensteinian perspective." - James C. Edwards, Furman University
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Albany, NY
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: College Graduate Student and over
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Total Illustrations: 0
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
227 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7914-0774-5 (9780791407745)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Garth L. Hallett, S. J., is Dean of the College of Philosophy and Letters at St. Louis University. He is the author of Wittgenstein's Definition of Meaning as Use; Darkness and Light: The Analysis of Doctrinal Statements; A Companion to Wittgenstein's "Philosophical Investigations;" Christian Moral Reasoning: An Analytic Guide; Logic for the Labyrinth: A Guide to Critical Thinking; Reason and Right; Language and Truth; and Christian Neighbor-Love: An Assessment of Six Rival Versions.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Decline of Explicit Essentialism
A Theoretical Sampling
Wittgenstein's Critique
Carnapian "Explication"
Essences and "Rigid Designators"
Variations
Summary Reflections
2. The Persistence of Essentialistic Theorizing
Cajetan on Analogy
Wittgenstein on Language and Propositions
Williams on Knowledge
Dretske on Knowledge
Overview
3. Calculus and Mosaic
Meaning and Use
Second Series
Samples from the Other Side
Signs of Something Larger
4. Network-Reasoning
A Problematic Paradigm
Language as an Interlocking Calculus
An Alternate Line of Critique
One-Directional Reasoning
Back to the Beginning
5. Other Worlds
Real Concepts, Unreal Worlds
A Systematic Sampling
Gettier's Counter-Examples
Robot Cats, Sleek Toads, Etc.
Cartesian Selves, Bracketed Worlds
Kripke and Possible Worlds
Retrospect
6. Sources of Essentialism
A First Source: Language
A Second Source: Disregard for Language
A Third Source: The Will
A Fourth Source: Contagion
A Fifth Source: Argument
Alternatives
7. Diagnoses and Prognosis
General Theories: Scheler
Particular Theories: Wittgenstein
Calculus-Reasoning: Pitcher
Network-Reasoning: Graham
Other-Worlds Reasoning: Kripke
Overview
Notes
Works Cited
Index
Introduction
1. The Decline of Explicit Essentialism
A Theoretical Sampling
Wittgenstein's Critique
Carnapian "Explication"
Essences and "Rigid Designators"
Variations
Summary Reflections
2. The Persistence of Essentialistic Theorizing
Cajetan on Analogy
Wittgenstein on Language and Propositions
Williams on Knowledge
Dretske on Knowledge
Overview
3. Calculus and Mosaic
Meaning and Use
Second Series
Samples from the Other Side
Signs of Something Larger
4. Network-Reasoning
A Problematic Paradigm
Language as an Interlocking Calculus
An Alternate Line of Critique
One-Directional Reasoning
Back to the Beginning
5. Other Worlds
Real Concepts, Unreal Worlds
A Systematic Sampling
Gettier's Counter-Examples
Robot Cats, Sleek Toads, Etc.
Cartesian Selves, Bracketed Worlds
Kripke and Possible Worlds
Retrospect
6. Sources of Essentialism
A First Source: Language
A Second Source: Disregard for Language
A Third Source: The Will
A Fourth Source: Contagion
A Fifth Source: Argument
Alternatives
7. Diagnoses and Prognosis
General Theories: Scheler
Particular Theories: Wittgenstein
Calculus-Reasoning: Pitcher
Network-Reasoning: Graham
Other-Worlds Reasoning: Kripke
Overview
Notes
Works Cited
Index