Saul A. Kripke Wittgenstein On Rules And Private Language An Elementary Exposition (1982)

Saul A. Kripke Wittgenstein On Rules And Private Language An Elementary Exposition (1982)

Author: Saul A. Kripke

Year: 1900

1 Introductory 2 The Wittgensteinian Paradox 3 The Solution and the 'Private Language' Argument Postscript Wittgenstein and Other Minds Rule-following paradox: Kripke argues that Wittgenstein shows we can never be certain that we are following a rule correctly. For example, if you’ve always added “+2” in arithmetic, how do you know you’re not supposed to switch to “+4” at some point? There’s no fact of the matter that guarantees your interpretation is correct. Skeptical problem: Kripke calls this “the most radical and original skeptical problem that philosophy has seen to date”. It undermines the idea that meaning is grounded in private mental states. Skeptical solution: Instead of rejecting the paradox, Kripke presents Wittgenstein as accepting it and offering a solution: meaning is not a matter of private interpretation but of community agreement and shared practices. Language works because of social norms, not because of hidden mental facts