Wittgenstein and Objectivity in Ethics: A Reply to Brandhorst

Philosophical Investigations 40 (1):40-63 (2016)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

In “Correspondence to Reality in Ethics”, Mario Brandhorst examines the view of ethics that Wittgenstein took in his later years. According to Brandhorst, Wittgenstein leaves room for truth and falsity, facts, correspondence and reality in ethics. Wittgenstein's target, argues Brandhorst, is objectivity. I argue that Brandhorst's arguments in favour of truth, facts, reality and correspondence in ethics invite similar arguments in favour of objectivity, that Brandhorst does not recognise this because his conception of objectivity is distorted by a Platonist picture and that he misinterprets the passage which he takes to support a Wittgensteinian case against objectivity.

Other Versions

No versions found

Similar books and articles

Wittgenstein, deflationism and moral entities.Jordi Fairhurst - 2021 - Synthese 199 (3-4):11023-11050.
Varieties of Objectivity: Reply to De Mesel.Mario Brandhorst - 2015 - Philosophical Investigations 40 (1):64-81.
Correspondence to Reality in Ethics.Mario Brandhorst - 2015 - Philosophical Investigations 38 (3):227-250.
Wittgenstein’s Paradox: Philosophical Investigations, Paragraph 242.Evelyn Wortsman Deluty - 2005 - International Philosophical Quarterly 45 (1):87-102.
Davidson: Truth and Correspondence.Stephen Neale - 2001 - In Facing Facts. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
Objectivity and meaning: Wittgenstein on following rules.Victor J. Krebs - 1986 - Philosophical Investigations 9 (July):177-186.

Analytics

Added to PP
2015-11-25

Downloads
623 (#41,102)

6 months
109 (#50,286)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

References found in this work

Philosophical investigations.Ludwig Wittgenstein & G. E. M. Anscombe - 1953 - Revue Philosophique de la France Et de l'Etranger 161:124-124.
The Blue and Brown Books.Ludwig Wittgenstein - 1958 - Philosophy 34 (131):367-368.
Lecture on Ethics.Ludwig Wittgenstein (ed.) - 2014 - Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

View all 45 references / Add more references