Abstract
The paper examines Johann Georg Hamann’s influence on Ludwig Wittgenstein’s late philosophy. Wittgenstein’s letters, diaries and Drury’s memoirs show that Wittgenstein read Hamann’s writings in the early 1930s and 1950s. Wittgenstein’s diary notes and the Cambridge lectures show that Wittgenstein’s discussion of Hamann’s views in 1931 corresponds to adopting a Hamannian view of symbols and rule-following. The view of language as an intertwining of signs, objects and meanings in use forms a common core in the philosophies of Hamann and Wittgenstein. The harmony of language and reality takes place in communicative use, so non-communicative private languages and pre-linguistic ideal forms of representation are not possible. Language is a free response to reality, and it involves belief-systems and trust.
Highlights
Wittgenstein and Hamann’s AuthorshipWittgenstein discusses Hamann in conversations, diary entries and letters. Wittgenstein mentioned Hamann to Maurice O’Connor Drury in a conversation in 1930:
This paper examines Johann Georg Hamann’s influence on Ludwig Wittgenstein’s late philosophy
Language is a free response to reality, and it is based on trust
Summary
Wittgenstein discusses Hamann in conversations, diary entries and letters. Wittgenstein mentioned Hamann to Maurice O’Connor Drury in a conversation in 1930:. Claim that it is possible that Wittgenstein used Hamann as an inspiration without directly reading him.. One cannot dispute that Wittgenstein read Hamann in 1950–51, as he directly says that he did so (McGuinness 2008: 473). One can draw the conclusion that Wittgenstein was at least acquainted with Hamann’s main themes and his style of authorship in both 1930–31 and 1950–51. Hamann expresses a core idea of his philosophy of language by using the metaphor of a sacrament: What transcendental philosophy is vainly fishing for with its long writings, I have pointed to the sacrament of language for the sake of the weak reader, the letters as its elements and the spirit of its institution. Institution: a rule for symbolic use that is based on Jesus’ words like “This is my body”
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