Bewitching Oxymorons and Illusions of Harmony

Wittgenstein’s account of how language bewitches one’s intelligence is a singular achievement in the phenomenology of language. In section 426 of Philosophical Investigations Wittgenstein famously claims that the meaning of a word is to be found in the “actual use” of it, and he contrasts this understanding with the projection of a picture: A picture is conjured up which seems to fix the sense unambiguously. The actual use, compared with that suggested by the picture, seems like something muddied. ... [T]he form of expression we use seems to have been designed for a god, who knows what we cannot know; he sees the whole of each of those infinite series and he sees into human consciousness. (Wittgenstein, 1953, section 426)

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The Star of Redemption as a System of Philosophy

10.1093/oso/9780190680640.003.0007 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Karin Nisenbaum

Keyword(s):

Human Action ◽

Human Freedom ◽

Practical Philosophy ◽

Human Consciousness ◽

Human Beings ◽

Abstract Concepts ◽

Philosophical Investigations ◽

The World ◽

Subject And Object

This chapter explains why Schelling and Rosenzweig hold that the representation of God by finite human beings is a topic of practical philosophy. Like Schelling’s Philosophical Investigations into the Essence of Human Freedom and his Ages of the World fragments, Rosenzweig’s Star of Redemption is motivated by an attempt to provide an explanation for the existence of the finite world, for the condition that brings about the relation between subject and object that characterizes all states of human consciousness. The system that Rosenzweig develops in the Star invites us to consider our commitments, the values that we ascribe to ourselves when we form maxims for action, as the means through which abstract concepts of the good are cognized. On Rosenzweig’s view, our commitments are the site of reason’s revelation; for this reason, God is both cognized and realized through human action in the world.

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Why Is There a Realm of Experience at All?

10.1093/oso/9780190680640.003.0006 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Karin Nisenbaum

Keyword(s):

Natural World ◽

Human Consciousness ◽

Human Beings ◽

Adequate Explanation ◽

Philosophical Investigations ◽

Irreducible Elements ◽

The World ◽

Subject And Object ◽

Temporal Dimensions ◽

Fundamental Entity

This chapter shows that both Schelling’s Philosophical Investigations into the Essence of Human Freedom and his Ages of the World fragments are motivated by an attempt to explain the relation between subject and object that characterizes all states of human consciousness. Fichte’s notion of the self-positing subject issues in the view that there is a single fundamental entity (the “absolute I”), which is constituted by two forms of activity, real and ideal activity; and, on Fichte’s view, the relation between real and ideal activity is the relation between subject and object that characterizes all states of human consciousness. Yet, in the Jena period, Fichte does not provide an adequate explanation for the basic relational structure of human consciousness. Schelling hopes to explain the structure of human consciousness by developing the view that human experience is grounded in three irreducible elements—God, the natural world, and human beings—which relate to one another in three temporal dimensions: creation, revelation, and redemption.

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The stability of rotating masses of liquid; note to a former paper

Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society ◽

10.1017/s0305004100011993 ◽

1926 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 1-1 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

H. F. Baker

Keyword(s):

Infinite Series ◽

Careful Consideration ◽

The Other ◽

General Proof ◽

Fourth Part ◽

The Stability ◽

Form Of Expression

In these Proceedings, Vol. xx (1920), pp. 198–204, the writer ventured (l.c. p. 203) on some remarks as to the reason why Sir G. Darwin and Mr Jeans had obtained discordant results for the stability of the pear-shaped figure of equilibrium, suggesting that this was due to a different mode of expansion of the functions involved. Sir G. Darwin used an infinite series of Lamé functions; Mr Jeans' method was equivalent to using the early parts from an expansion, of which every term, when expressed as an integral series of Lamé functions, would be an infinite series. At that time there was difficulty in obtaining Liapounoff's papers; since then, by the kindness of M. Belopolsky, of Pulkova, the whole of the four parts of Liapounoff's publication “Sur les figures d'équilibre peu différentes des ellipsoïdes d'une masse liquide homogène douèe d'un mouvement de rotation,” in all over 750 large folio pages, have become available; and these are now in the market. It is particularly interesting to see that the fourth part (1914) is devoted precisely to that change in the method of development which would arise in passing from Sir G. Darwin's expansion to the other expansion referred to above. And it is only by this change that Liapounoff is able to give the general proof of a form of expression of his results—in terms of polynomials and not infinite series—upon which his theorem of instability is made to depend. The careful consideration of the convergence of his expansions, which adds so greatly to the length of Liapounoff's papers, supplies materials for the proof that the expansion used in Mr Jeans' paper can be placed on a sure foundation, while Sir G. Darwin's expansion requires an estimation of the remainder.

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The Practice of Following Rules

Wittgenstein-Studien ◽

10.1515/witt-2017-006 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Wilhelm Vossenkuhl

Keyword(s):

Philosophy Of Language ◽

Language Use ◽

Rule Following ◽

Philosophical Investigations ◽

Default Option ◽

Actual Use ◽

Theory Of Language

AbstractRule following has been estimated as a major issue in Wittgenstein’s later philosophy. It seemed to be a key to understand his philosophy of language, and a criterion for the correct use of words. It was further valued as a notion, which conforms to standards required in a theory of language. In this essay I shall argue that these views are neither supported in the Philosophical Investigations nor in any other of Wittgenstein’s writings. In my view rule following serves as a default option to clarify that there are no definite standards of the correct use of words and in consequence, that the actual use of a language is not to be explained at all. Any approach to an explanation of the actual language use by means of rules appears to be nonsensical and beside the point. In order to recognize this view one has to take Wittgenstein’s proposition seriously and at face value that the use of a language is a practice. Providing that only the practice counts the famous “paradox” reappears in a new light.

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Religion in Wittgenstein's Mirror

Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement ◽

10.1017/s1358246100005282 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 28 ◽

pp. 135-150

Author(s):

D. Z. Phillips

Keyword(s):

Philosophical Investigations ◽

Actual Use

There is a well-known remark in Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations which even some philosophers sympathetic to his work have found very hard to accept. It reads:Philosophy may in no way interfere with the actual use of language;it can in the end only describe it.For it cannot give it any foundation either.It leaves everything as it is. (PI, I, 24)Surely, it is said, that is carrying matters too far. Wittgenstein's hyperbole should be excused as a harmless stylistic flourish.

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Trust in Management Information Systems (MIS)

Zeitschrift für Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie A&O ◽

10.1026/0932-4089/a000306 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

pp. 6-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sarah M. Meeßen ◽

Meinald T. Thielsch ◽

Guido Hertel

Keyword(s):

Information Systems ◽

Information Overload ◽

Management Information Systems ◽

Empirical Work ◽

Future Research ◽

Management Information ◽

Trust In Management ◽

Actual Use ◽

Trust In Technology ◽

The Internet Of Things

Abstract. Digitalization, enhanced storage capacities, and the Internet of Things increase the volume of data in modern organizations. To process and make use of these data and to avoid information overload, management information systems (MIS) are introduced that collect, process, and analyze relevant data. However, a precondition for the application of MIS is that users trust them. Extending accounts of trust in automation and trust in technology, we introduce a new model of trust in MIS that addresses the conceptual ambiguities of existing conceptualizations of trust and integrates initial empirical work in this field. In doing so, we differentiate between perceived trustworthiness of an MIS, experienced trust in an MIS, intentions to use an MIS, and actual use of an MIS. Moreover, we consider users’ perceived risks and contextual factors (e. g., autonomy at work) as moderators. The introduced model offers guidelines for future research and initial suggestions to foster trust-based MIS use.

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Applicants’ Self-Presentational Behavior

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000046 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 77-85 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Anne Jansen ◽

Cornelius J. König ◽

Eveline H. Stadelmann ◽

Martin Kleinmann

Keyword(s):

Personnel Selection ◽

Randomized Response Technique ◽

Randomized Response ◽

Self Presentation ◽

Actual Use

This study contributes to the literature on self-presentation by comparing recruiters’ expectations about applicants’ self-presentational behaviors in personnel selection settings to applicants’ actual use of these behaviors. Recruiters (N = 51) rated the perceived appropriateness of 24 self-presentational behaviors. In addition, the prevalence of these behaviors was separately assessed in two subsamples of applicants (N1 = 416 and N2 = 88) with the randomized response technique. In line with the script concept, the results revealed that recruiters similarly evaluated the appropriateness of specific self-presentational behaviors and that applicants’ general use of these behaviors corresponded to recruiters’ shared expectations. The findings indicate that applicants who use strategic self-presentational behaviors may just be trying to fulfill situational requirements.

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