This paper discusses a neglected theme in Wittgenstein＇s writings on meaning and psychology from the early 1930s until 1949. Throughout this period Wittgenstein deals with aspects of meaning of words and pictures tha...This paper discusses a neglected theme in Wittgenstein＇s writings on meaning and psychology from the early 1930s until 1949. Throughout this period Wittgenstein deals with aspects of meaning of words and pictures that cannot be accounted for in dispositional terms but have to be related to experience and perception. Wittgenstein＇s reading of William James, I argue, has sharpened his eye for the many pitfalls in coming to terms with this experiential notion of meaning. James＇s treatment of experiences of meaning succumbs to the temptation to postulate ~~meaning-bodies,＂ bearers of meaning apart from the way and context in which we use the particular words. I argue that the conflation of what Wittgenstein calls the transitive and intransitive use of words is at the root of postulating meaning-bodies. I also argue that contemporary treatments of experiences of meaning are similarly vulnerable to James＇s confusion.展开更多
基金国家社科基金重大招标项目“海外藏中国宝卷整理与研究”(17ZDA266)阶段性成果中央高校基本科研业务费专项资金资助项目(Supported by the Fundamental Research Funds For the Central Universities)“象征图谱与意义渐变——人类学想象视界中的麦尔维尔小说”(2018TS033)阶段性成果。
文摘This paper discusses a neglected theme in Wittgenstein＇s writings on meaning and psychology from the early 1930s until 1949. Throughout this period Wittgenstein deals with aspects of meaning of words and pictures that cannot be accounted for in dispositional terms but have to be related to experience and perception. Wittgenstein＇s reading of William James, I argue, has sharpened his eye for the many pitfalls in coming to terms with this experiential notion of meaning. James＇s treatment of experiences of meaning succumbs to the temptation to postulate ~~meaning-bodies,＂ bearers of meaning apart from the way and context in which we use the particular words. I argue that the conflation of what Wittgenstein calls the transitive and intransitive use of words is at the root of postulating meaning-bodies. I also argue that contemporary treatments of experiences of meaning are similarly vulnerable to James＇s confusion.
