26 research outputs found
Human Beings and Automatons
J.S. Mill has formulated a classical statement of the
"argument from analogy� concerning knowledge of other
minds: "I must either believe them [other human beings] to
be alive, or to be automatons� (Mill 1872, 244). It is possible
that Wittgenstein had this in mind when writing the following:
"I believe he is suffering.�—Do I also believe that
he isn"t an automaton?
It would go against the grain to use the word in both
connexions. (Or is it like this: I believe he is suffering,
but am certain the he is not an automaton?
Nonsense!)
Suppose I say of a friend: "He isn"t an
automaton�.—What information is conveyed by this,
and to whom would it be information? To a human
being who meets him in ordinary circumstances? What
information could it give him? (At the very most that
this man always behaves like a human being, and not
occasionally like a machine.)
"I believe he is not an automaton�, just like that, so
far makes no sense.
My attitude towards him is an attitude towards a
soul [eine Einstellung zur Seele]. I am not of the
opinion that he has a soul. (PI p. 178)
Here Wittgenstein contrasts opinion (Meinung) and
attitude (Einstellung). How should this contrast be
understood? On a view such as Mill"s, to regard someone as
a conscious being is to hold certain beliefs about him, beliefs
that can perhaps ultimately be grounded in a theory of some
sort. To have an "attitude towards a soul� is, on the contrary,
to see a person"s gestures and facial expressions as "filled
with meaning�. We have an attitude towards a soul when
confronted with a person, which means that we react to his
presence and behaviour in a certain way
Wittgenstein. The Philosopher and his Works
This wide-ranging collection of essays contains eighteen original articles by authors representing some of the most important recent work on Wittgenstein. It deals with questions pertaining to both the interpretation and application of Wittgenstein’s thought and the editing of his works. Regarding the latter, it also addresses issues concerning scholarly electronic publishing. The collection is accompanied by a comprehensive introduction which lays out the content and arguments of each contribution. Contributors: Knut Erik Tranøy, Lars Hertzberg, Georg Henrik von Wright, Marie McGinn, Cora Diamond, James Conant, David G. Stern, Eike von Savigny, P.M.S. Hacker, Hans-Johann Glock, Allan Janik, KristĂłf NyĂri, Antonia Soulez, Brian McGuinness, Anthony Kenny, Joachim Schulte, Herbert Hrachovec, Cameron McEwen