[lbo-talk] Butler on Derrida

joanna bujes jbujes at covad.net
Sun Oct 31 20:21:50 PST 2004


Miles Jackson wrote:


>For Wittgenstein, most philosophical problems are
>pseudo-problems based on a misunderstanding of language.
>If you analyze the limits and actual uses of language,
>W contended, you realize that philosophers tend to ask
>silly questions that cannot be meaningfully answered.
>
>Or put it this way: philosophy can't provide any answers,
>but it can discourage pointless questions.
>
Though I agree with your description of W's work, I think it's important to recognize that there is also a point to understanding "the silly questions." In other words, while it may be the task of a certain kind of philosophy to expose the missteps of philosophers, there is also room for a cultural/historical critique of those missteps (I'm thinking of Marx or Cassirer or Ong) that tells us a lot about the mind-set and conditioning of specific periods.

Joanna


>
>



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list