Philosophy and/or Politics: Learning from Engagement with Wittgenstein

Thomas Wallgren, Anat Biletzki

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This concluding chapter reflects on what we may learn from engagement with Wittgenstein about how philosophy communicates with its times. One aspect, the authors suggest, is that Wittgenstein’s work undermines the idea of political philosophy as a separable field of study with pregiven problems. A further claim is that Wittgenstein may help us reimagine routine conceptions of political practice and of where, when and how politics and philosophy happen and how the two meet. One pivotal notion is that Wittgenstein, through his study of the foundations of reason, brings to the fore interdependences among dialogical engagement, formation of self and building political community. It follows, the authors argue, that Wittgenstein helps us overcome the divide in much of modern political theory between “atomistic” and “communicative” views of the relation between the freedom of individuals and democracy. From the perspective of Wittgenstein, there is a unity of philosophy and a democratic form of life due to the equally primordial role dialogical philosophy has to play in the search for understanding of oneself and of others.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationWittgenstein and Democratic Politics
Subtitle of host publicationLanguage, Dialogue and Political Forms of Life
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Pages297-304
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9781040188781
ISBN (Print)9781032778891
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2024

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Philosophy and/or Politics: Learning from Engagement with Wittgenstein'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this