CR Quote

WW Bartley,III on the implications of the Wittgensteinian problematic

Under the approach stemming from the later writings of Wittgenstein, each
discipline or field or 'language game' or 'form of life' is alleged to have
its own ungrounded ultimate standards or principles or 'logic', embedded in
action, which need not conform to or be reducible to any other standards,
and which, again, it is the special task of the philosopher to describe and
clarify but to eschew judging or defending. As Wittgenstein says: 'As if
giving grounds did not come to an end sometime. But the end is not an
ungrounded presupposition; it is an ungrounded was of acting.'

. . .

This simple -- and, ironically enough, apparently logical -- extension has
immediate and weighty consequences. It literally means that there is no
arguing or judging among disciplines -- or different activities, or forms of
life -- any more. Not only is there no longer a universal theory of
criticism; there is no longer room even for cross-disciplinary criticism.
Logic cannot judge science; or science, history; or history, religion. And
so on. There is no unity to knowledge -- or science. Rather, all knowledge
is essentially divided. There is a spangled diversity. Scientific
imperialism makes way for disciplinary independence -- some might say
anarchy -- and the natural division of knowledge. Preservation of a
minimum of "Two Cultures" is underwritten by professional philosophy, and
the existing fragmentation of both university and larger community is given
a theoretical justification. In this theoretical justification itself
resides all that remains of unity and community. Furthermore, the
fragmentation is noncompetitive, non-threatening, since no one segment may
censure any other. Indeed, everyone acquires total protection, freedom from
competition, on any fundamental issue." [all footnotes omitted]

From Unfathomed Knowledge, Unmeasured Wealth , chapter 14, end of section 4 and start of section 5

Critical Rationalism Forum: Join the Discussion