The Role of the Concept of Showing in Wittgenstein's Philosophy [microform]
Description:... This dissertation will examine the role of the concept of showing in Wittgenstein's philosophy. In the early writings Wittgenstein drew a sharp distinction between what can be said and what can only be shown. Accordingly, he held that one can use language to represent the world, but one cannot represent the logic of language, since all representations already presuppose an acceptance of logical form. In the later writings this idea lives on. Although Wittgenstein abandoned his early conception of logic, he continued to hold that grammar is the inexpressible background which gives sense to everything one says and does. In both the early and later writings, he thus attempted to undermine the possibility of a science of logic.
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