Comments: Analytic Premises and Existential Conclusions

Abstract

Professor Moore’s stimulating paper ‘The Center of the World’ is a most interesting and unusual blend of continental existentialism and Anglo-American linguistic analysis. However, in Moore’s paper linguistic analysis is not used in an attempt to refute existentialism, as is often the case among American and British philosophers. On the contrary, I interpret Moore to be using linguistic analysis to try to substantiate and demonstrate the truth of some conclusions and insights of existentialism. Now even if Moore is unsuccessful in his attempt to do this, the effort is surely worth the try. As Moore himself points out, a great gulf separates continental and Anglo-American philosophy and much misunderstanding and mistrust prevail. An effort like Moore’s to bridge this gulf, to show, e.g., how the techniques of linguistic analysis may illuminate the major insights of existentialism, must surely be applauded as a courageous attempt at international philosophical peace-making.1