Wittgenstein and dichotomy between relativism and universalism
Subject Areas :
1 - Faculty member of the Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies
Keywords: Relativism, universalism, language games, form of life, common behavior of mankind,
Abstract :
Both Wittgenstein's early philosophy (especially in Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus) and his later philosophy (notably in the Philosophical Investigations and on Certainty) have been the source of significant currents in twentieth-century philosophy. This study examines Wittgenstein’s thought in relation to the major contemporary philosophical dichotomy between relativism and universalism. His early philosophy has been less frequently interpreted as endorsing relativism, whereas most contemporary relativist movements have been influenced in some way by his later philosophy. But is his later philosophy itself relativistic? Here, both the ideas that support a relativist interpretation and those that align more closely with universalism are analyzed. Ultimately, it is concluded that attributing either label—relativism or universalism—to Wittgenstein’s later philosophy is problematic. Rather, his philosophy appears not as a philosophical theory advocating relativism or universalism, but as a form of philosophical anthropology grounded in the observable behavior of humans in various natural and socio-cultural contexts.
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