The Argument of the Tractatus
Its Relevance to Contemporary Theories of Logic, Language, Mind, and Philosophical Truth
Description:... The Argument of the Tractatus presents a single unified interpretation of the Tractatus based on Wittgensteins own view that the philosophy of logic is the real foundation of his philosophical system. It demonstrates that on this interpretation Wittgensteins views are far more visionary and relevant to contemporary discussions than has been suspected. A case in point is a new interpretation of Wittgensteins theory of meaning that is shown to illuminate the views of a series of philosophers, including Brentano, the early Russell, Chomsky, Fodor, Katz, Kripke, Malcolm, and Dummett. McDonoughs interpretation sheds new light on the connection between Wittgensteins work and the nineteenth- and twentieth-century German philosophical tradition, and it facilitates a clear resolution of the controversy over the relation between Wittgensteins own early and later philosophies.
The Argument of the Tractatus is an excellent introduction to the field of twentieth-century analytical philosophy. It treats a wide range of authors and topics, including the foundations of logic, the theory of meaning, the disputes concerning atomistic versus holistic conceptions of language, the nature of the mental, the foundations of psycho-linguistics, the theory of communication, and the nature of philosophical systems.
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