Study Questions and Answers
What two possible readings could we give of the St. Augustine quotation of section 1? What is the significance of this double reading?
The Investigations have been taken as proclaiming "the end of philosophy." In what sense can they be said to do so? Is this claim justified?
Wittgenstein never takes on an explicitly stated philosophical theory, and most of his energies seem to be directed toward more naive forms of thought. Why does he do this? What power does his work hold if it does not tackle more sophisticated theories?
Suggested Essay Topics
What is a grammatical investigation? What purpose does it serve?
What is the "private language argument"? To what extent is it an argument? To what extent does it deal with language? To what extent does it deal with privacy? What are we to draw from this discussion?
What does Wittgenstein mean when he says, "a rose has teeth in the mouth of the beast"? What is the significance of this statement?
In "The Availability of Wittgenstein's Later Philosophy" (see "Further Reading"), Stanley Cavell characterizes the Investigations as being written in the form of a confession. What does this claim mean? What is its significance?
What is the significance of Wittgenstein's use of criteria? What work does it do for him?
Wittgenstein interrupts his discussion of understanding at ä155 to launch an extended discussion of reading. What significance does this latter concept have for the former investigation?
