Wittgenstein, criteria and the ineffability of consciousness

The present discussion seeks to determine the scope and nature of Wittgenstein's opposition to some prominent approaches to consciousness in contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science. We begin with some general remarks about this opposition, and in Chapter 1 appraise some prominent...

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Opis bibliograficzny
1. autor: Maloney, J
Format: Praca dyplomowa
Język:English
Wydane: 2010
Hasła przedmiotowe:
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author Maloney, J
author_facet Maloney, J
author_sort Maloney, J
collection OXFORD
description The present discussion seeks to determine the scope and nature of Wittgenstein's opposition to some prominent approaches to consciousness in contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science. We begin with some general remarks about this opposition, and in Chapter 1 appraise some prominent contemporary exemplars: Hacker & Bennett's (2003, 2007) Wittgensteinian critiques of attempts to study and define consciousness, and Searle (2007) and Block's (2007) opposing views. Their dispute hinges on whether Wittgenstein's notion of criteria yields a <i>prima facie</i> opposition to the distinction between consciousness and language (the 'being'/'saying' distinction) and more generally whether his later view is opposed to the ineffability of consciousness. We will demonstrate that while Wittgenstein's notion of criteria, properly understood, does provide a <i>prima facie</i> case against the 'being'/'saying' distinction (Chapters 2 and 3), there is an alternative sense in which Wittgenstein's view may endorse a notion of 'ineffable consciousness' importantly similar to that endorsed by Block (2007) and others. As such, Wittgenstein's position concurs <i>neither</i> with attempts by Block, Searle and others to distinguish consciousness from language, <i>nor</i> with claims such as Hacker and Bennett's which suggest a wholesale opposition to consciousness or its ineffability.
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spelling oxford-uuid:fb831b56-ec7a-484c-9ca2-a58beb17bfba2023-11-08T10:35:19ZWittgenstein, criteria and the ineffability of consciousnessThesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_7a1fuuid:fb831b56-ec7a-484c-9ca2-a58beb17bfbaPhilosophyOrdinary-language philosophyPhilosophy of mindNeurosciences and the humanitiesConsciousnessPhilosophy and cognitive scienceEnglishHyrax Deposit2010Maloney, JThe present discussion seeks to determine the scope and nature of Wittgenstein's opposition to some prominent approaches to consciousness in contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science. We begin with some general remarks about this opposition, and in Chapter 1 appraise some prominent contemporary exemplars: Hacker & Bennett's (2003, 2007) Wittgensteinian critiques of attempts to study and define consciousness, and Searle (2007) and Block's (2007) opposing views. Their dispute hinges on whether Wittgenstein's notion of criteria yields a <i>prima facie</i> opposition to the distinction between consciousness and language (the 'being'/'saying' distinction) and more generally whether his later view is opposed to the ineffability of consciousness. We will demonstrate that while Wittgenstein's notion of criteria, properly understood, does provide a <i>prima facie</i> case against the 'being'/'saying' distinction (Chapters 2 and 3), there is an alternative sense in which Wittgenstein's view may endorse a notion of 'ineffable consciousness' importantly similar to that endorsed by Block (2007) and others. As such, Wittgenstein's position concurs <i>neither</i> with attempts by Block, Searle and others to distinguish consciousness from language, <i>nor</i> with claims such as Hacker and Bennett's which suggest a wholesale opposition to consciousness or its ineffability.
spellingShingle Philosophy
Ordinary-language philosophy
Philosophy of mind
Neurosciences and the humanities
Consciousness
Philosophy and cognitive science
Maloney, J
Wittgenstein, criteria and the ineffability of consciousness
title Wittgenstein, criteria and the ineffability of consciousness
title_full Wittgenstein, criteria and the ineffability of consciousness
title_fullStr Wittgenstein, criteria and the ineffability of consciousness
title_full_unstemmed Wittgenstein, criteria and the ineffability of consciousness
title_short Wittgenstein, criteria and the ineffability of consciousness
title_sort wittgenstein criteria and the ineffability of consciousness
topic Philosophy
Ordinary-language philosophy
Philosophy of mind
Neurosciences and the humanities
Consciousness
Philosophy and cognitive science
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