2nd Edition
Words and Things An Examination of, and an Attack on, Linguistic Philosophy, A Special Issue of Cognitive Neuropsychology
By Ernest Gellner
Copyright 2005
392 Pages
by
Routledge
102 Pages
by
Routledge
When Ernest Gellner was his early thirties, he took it upon himself to challenge the prevailing philosophical orthodoxy of the day, Linguistic Philosophy. Finding a powerful ally in Bertrand Russell, who provided the foreword for this book, Gellner embarked on the project that was to put him on the intellectual map.
The first determined attempt to state the premises and operational rules of the movement, Words and Things remains philosophy's most devastating attack on a conventional wisdom to this day.
Foreword by Bertrand Russell Introduction: The Saltmines of Salzburg or Wittgensteinianism Reconsidered in Historical Context I Of Linguistic Philosophy 1 Introductory 2 First Approaches 3 A Theory of Philosophy 4 A Theory of the World and of Language 5 A Theory of Mind II Of Language 1 The Theory of Language Expanded 2 Language Games 3 The Four Pillars 4 The Argument from Paradigm Cases 5 From Fact to Norm 6 The Contrast Theory of Meaning 7 General Comments on the Three Fallacies 8 The Cult of the Fox 9 Everything is Unlike Everything Else 10 The Best of all Possible Languages III Of Philosophy 1 Activity not Doctrine 2 The Imperturbable Universe 3 Flashback 4 Logical Atomism 5 Logical Positivism 6 Logical Constructions 7 Common Sense 8 Transition 9 Appearance and Reality, or Monsieur Jourdain’s Revolt IV Of the World 1 The Secret of the Universe 2 Naturalism 3 A Special Kind of Naturalism 4 The Bait and the Trap 5 The Turn of the Screw 6 Triple Star 7 De Luxe V Of Knowledge VI Structure and Strategy Explanation of the Diagram and Instructions for Use VII Assessment VIII Implications IX Sociology X Conclusion
Biography
Ernest Gellner (1925 - 1995) A Central European émigré who made his home in England, Gellner was famed for constructing academic theories on linguistic philosophy and nationalism.
'I find myself in very close agreement with Mr. Gellner's doctrines as set forth in this book.' - Bertrand Russell
