Is Use Enough? The Problem of Normativity in Wittgenstein’s Theory of Meaning

• Dr. Srobon K. Mondol

  Alipurduar University

  Author

In his later work, particularly in the Philosophical Investigations, Wittgenstein emphasizes that grasping meaning demands accepting the varied frameworks and practices within which language functions. This method highlights the everyday use of language over theoretical definitions, underlining the consequence of social interactions and experiences in constructing meaning. Here, it will be made to explain a full study of the normativity issues associated with Ludwig Wittgenstein's use theory of meaning, as seen in Philosophical Investigations (1953). Wittgenstein's denial of the referential theory of meaning augments investigations into the capability of public practices in speaking linguistic truth and engages with continuing anxieties in the philosophy of language. The paper: (1) reconstructs Wittgenstein's criticisms of ostensive definition and private language; (2) investigates Saul Kripke's (1982) skeptical challenge on rule-following; (3) evaluates John McDowell's (1984) "second nature" response and Baker & Hacker's (1985) conventionalist interpretation; and (4) argues that Wittgenstein's emphasis on training (§§143–155) and custom (§198) provides a non-reductive explanation of normativity. Building on the recent works of Meredith Williams (1999) and Charles Travis (2008), the paper claims that by understanding normativity as resulting from socially embodied know-how rather than from clear laws, Wittgenstein's model avoids circularity. 

1. Dr. Srobon K. Mondol, Alipurduar University

   Currently working as an Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy.

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