So what sort of thing is a concept? — Banno
What more is there to any given concept than what we do? — Banno
I'm not. I'm wondering about your thinking on the topic, and how it relates toIf you're looking for a specific answer, then go ahead, provide one. — Shawn
It is clear Wittgenstein is rejecting any notion of treating words as just names, and that concepts are about use, not just grammar....the passage of the Philosophical Investigations, I/§383, regarding "concepts as words" and Wittgensteins nominalism. — Shawn
Midgley's plumbing metaphor might show the point better than Wittgenstein's therapy metaphor.Are philosophers still in need of therapy? — Shawn
It is clear Wittgenstein is rejecting any notion of treating words as just names, and that concepts are about use, not just grammar. — Banno
Midgley's plumbing metaphor might show the point better than Wittgenstein's therapy metaphor. — Banno
concepts are used in different ways. — Shawn
No! That's not what it says. Rather, concepts are what we do. The difference is central. Concepts are not things! — Banno
Treat this as an example in which the malady is misunderstanding the notion of concept, and the treatment is to show that concepts are what we do, and not things. — Banno
Concepts are not things! — Banno
...this is again nominalism
— Shawn
How? — Banno
I don;t see how one could disagree with universal quantification... — Banno
I've no idea what that might mean. I'll leave you to it. — Banno
Yet, I feel as though it was a work guided by sheer intelligence, to state what was said. — Shawn
So, how can a concept stand for a word? This strikes me as pragmaticism. Is this really an implicit reference to pragmatism in the Philosophical Investigations? — Shawn
He definitely pushed the experiment of the Tractatus—basically to only state what can be said with absolutely certainty—as far as he could, which demonstrated his intellect but also persistence to carry a line of thought all the way through, past where everyone else might rest on a first impression. Only such a thorough “mistake” (if we would even call it that) could lead to such a monumental revolution as the Investigations. — Antony Nickles
Wittgenstein is looking at the mechanics of our interest and judgment through a concept—how it is identified, distinguished, satisfied. — Antony Nickles
Wittgenstein's suggestion that 'The theory of knowledge is the philosophy of psychology' is an important statement. That is because the source human thinking is a central area for psychological investigation. This is at the core of the different models of psychology.. — Jack Cummins
As far as the idea of philosophy needing therapy, what this signifies is for a thinker to be more aware of the psychological basis of one's ideas and beliefs. Human motives and factors in socialisation are central to our philosophical understanding, alongside cultural beliefs. Being able to reflect on these aspects of one's beliefs and thoughts has an important place in philosophy. — Jack Cummins
When I was undertaking some psychotherapy training, having therapy was seen as vital. That is because it enabled one to be aware of the 'blindspots' of thinking and one's beliefs. This is a significant area for philosophy, especially in self-knowledge, biases and becoming aware of one's own 'blindspots' , which can be a stumbling block to clear thinking. — Jack Cummins
I don't think he thought of the Tractatus as entirely a mistaken work; but, certain elements of it, such as the picture theory of meaning, were not adequate to answer the questions that occupied Wittgensteins mind. — Shawn
Yes, although it would seem as though that the mechanics of what concepts are, are to this day a point in question. As I already stated, grammar seems to be the path to greater understanding rather than route logic which had been trying to solve as Wittgenstein sought out. — Shawn
The idea of 'blindspots' comes from the psychodynamic as opposed to cognitive behavioural school of thought. They are frequently contrasted, including ideas about the 'subconscious' in the psychodynamic vs core beliefs in CBT, among other aspects. — Jack Cummins
Of course we could call the picture theory a “mistake”, but I’m thinking more of the mistaken desire for purity that that theory, or any theory, would try to satisfy. — Antony Nickles
If we call that a desire for pure (singular, universal) logic, then he does abandon that goal in the PI, however, the varied grammar he sees in each concept has its own internal logic, though not foundational, so he does continue a rigorous, precise, intelligibility in the PI. — Antony Nickles
The point of the PI is that we don’t need pure formal logic to have a workable rational world. — Antony Nickles
Actually, if one wants to be more precise or factual, then, why was Wittgenstein obsessed with treating the study of philosophy as in need of therapy. — Shawn
255 . The philosopher's treatment of a question is like the treatment of an illness. — Philosophical Investigations
It would seem as though the world could not be understood as philosophers would have wanted it to. If so, then where does one go from here? — Shawn
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