New Critical Thinking: What Wittgenstein Offered

Ludwig Wittgenstein changed everything. To understand how, we need to understand what he did to the subject of critical reasoning. Wittgenstein didn’t leave us “philosophy”; he left a pathway for a more perspicuous intellect. This was caused by a psychological condition that made him meticulous and hypersensitive. He could abnormally perceive three natural phenomena: (a) the social traits implicated in word use; (b) the task-functions signified in communication; and (c) the pictures that flash before the mind’s eye. With this unique acuity, he showed us how post-analytic thinking was to occur. And this discovery changes everything. It revolutionizes how we must argue with one another and what we believe is “true.” Instead of focusing primarily upon premises or facts, we must point people to how their intellect behaves during a speech act—something called “therapy.” And this has radical implications for analysis, conceptual investigation, value judgments, political ideology, ethics and even religion. This book is both an explanation of, and a blueprint for, the new critical thinking. Written for both a lay and special audience, and for all fields of study, it shows what Wittgenstein invented and how it affects us all.

Table of Contents:
Part I: Wittgenstein Chapter 1: Was Wittgenstein a Charlatan? Chapter 2: What Made Wittgenstein Special Chapter 3: Why Does It Matter Part II: New Foundations Chapter 4: Word Sense Chapter 5: Meaning is Use Chapter 6: Task-Functions Chapter 7: Picturing Chapter 8: Therapy Part III: Post-Analytic Thought Chapter 9: Meaning and Intent Chapter 10: Definition and False Dispute Chapter 11: Designation and Specimen Chapter 12: Conceptual Investigation Chapter 13: Aspect and Framing Chapter 14: Connoisseurship and Ethics Chapter 15: Religion

About the Author :
Sean Wilson is associate professor at Wright State University and is the author of The Flexible Constitution.

Review :
For years Wittgensteinian philosophers have wanted to see a movement away from exegesis toward the application of Wittgenstein’s way of dealing with problems to new areas. Wilson’s book promises to make a contribution to this effort. The book is blazing a trail of its own, which is its great strength. To the extent that Wilson has not only been a pioneer but also got Wittgenstein right, this is an excellent achievement. Sean Wilson’s new book offers some of the clearest insights into Wittgenstein’s later thoughts that I have come across. By clearly explaining three facets of Wittgenstein’s problem-solving “therapy,” Wilson is able to neatly put important—but often confusing—ideas into a coherent and helpful form. I highly recommend this book to any reader, not just the career philosopher. It may just change the way you view the world. In his book Sean Wilson has devoted himself to an important task rarely undertaken by Wittgenstein scholars: rather than limiting himself to interpreting Wittgenstein’s thought or bringing it to bear on philosophical problems, he has explored ways in which Wittgenstein’s insights can be employed in the clarification of many kinds of intellectual entanglements, within various academic disciplines, in legal argument, political and cultural debate and everyday interchange.