Ikonoklastiske refleksioner En diskussion af den sene Wittgensteins ...

Abstract
This thesis investigates the philosophical question ’What is philosophy?’ by
discussing the later Wittgenstein’s conception of philosophy as it is described and
practised in Philosophische Untersuchungen.
According to Wittgenstein, philosophy is the reflective activity of conducting
conceptual investigations. This is done by describing the role a word plays in our
language games. The philosophical problems mainly arise because we cannot
survey this role and we therefore create false pictures of the phenomenon we seek
to understand; pictures, which hold us captured. This generates the need for
iconoclastic reflections. Wittgenstein demonstrates different therapeutic methods
to break the spell of pictures mainly by giving an overview of grammar.
Philosophy is shown to be reflective in two senses: as a reflection both on our
world of concepts, thoughts and lives, and as a reflection of these structures. The
thesis ends by showing how Wittgenstein’s conception of philosophy allows
constructive work in moral philosophy and philosophy of religion.
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