Wittgenstein’s Comparison between Philosophy, Aesthetics and Ethics

Kuusela, Oskari ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9345-9499 (2017) Wittgenstein’s Comparison between Philosophy, Aesthetics and Ethics. In: Aesthetics Today: Contemporary Approaches to the Aesthetics of Nature and of Arts. De Gruyter, AUT, pp. 333-348. ISBN 978-3-11-054041-3

[thumbnail of Accepted manuscript]
Preview
PDF (Accepted manuscript) - Accepted Version
Download (293kB) | Preview

Abstract

Wittgenstein compares philosophical explanations with explanations in aesthetics and ethics. According to him, the similarity between aesthetics and philosophy “reaches very far”, and as I aim to show, the comparison can be used to elucidate certain characteristic features of Wittgenstein’s philosophical approach. In particular, it can explain how his approach differs from metaphysical philosophy as well as clarifying the sense in which there are no theses or theories in philosophy, as Wittgenstein conceives it. In the last section of the essay, I examine certain consequences of Wittgenstein’s view, including the lack of conclusive arguments in philosophy. Rather than implying that philosophy falls short of its rational aspirations, I argue, Wittgenstein’s explanation of why there are (sometimes) no conclusive arguments in philosophy can help us to see in the right light the lack of agreement in philosophy, as well as explaining why this is not a defect.

Item Type: Book Section
Additional Information: Date of acceptance: 15/11/2016
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Philosophy
Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Wittgenstein
Depositing User: Pure Connector
Date Deposited: 19 Jul 2017 05:06
Last Modified: 21 Jul 2023 10:38
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/64152
DOI: 10.1515/9783110540413-024

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item