We're sorry. An error has occurred
Please cancel or retry.
Wittgenstein and the Social Sciences
Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
Couldn't load pickup availability
- Format:
-
27 July 2020

In Wittgenstein and the Social Sciences, Robert Vinten takes a fresh look at the relationship between Wittgenstein’s philosophy and the social sciences. He argues that although social sciences are quite different to the natural sciences, they are nonetheless properly called ‘sciences’. The book looks in detail at whether Wittgenstein can be claimed by conservatives, liberals, or socialists as their own. Wittgenstein’s philosophical remarks and remarks about politics and culture are taken into account in deciding where to locate Wittgenstein in relation to various ideologies. In the final part of the book, Vinten considers how Wittgenstein’s philosophy can be of use in resolving or dissolving problems in the social sciences. Along the way, he critically assesses work from Perry Anderson, Terry Eagleton, Richard Rorty, and Chantal Mouffe in the light of Wittgenstein’s philosophical oeuvre. The book makes a compelling examination of how Wittgenstein’s work remains as relevant as ever to thinking about our cultural and political situation.
PHILOSOPHY / Social, Social and political philosophy, PHILOSOPHY / Political, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / General, Political ideologies and movements
“Robert Vinten has produced an impressively meticulous and wide-ranging discussion of how Wittgenstein’s mature philosophy can revitalize the social sciences. There is insight and scholarship on every page. This important book will open up new possibilities for both philosophers and social scientists.” —Leonidas Tsilipakos, Lecturer, University of Bristol, UK
“Vinten’s book will be an invaluable tool for anyone interested in the social relevance of Wittgenstein’s later thought.” —Nuno Venturinha, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Nova University of Lisbon, Portugal
"Robert Vinten's book Wittgenstein and the Social Sciences - Action, Ideology, and Justice is another symptom of Wittgenstein's ongoing impact on philosophical practice. It join's a literature dedicated to expanding that impact into areas to which Wittgenstein himself paid less attention (say, the philosophy of art, of the social sciences, of education, etc.) or into traditions in which that impact was less felt (say, phenomenology, hermeneutics, psychoanalysis, etc.). It will surely prove to be a useful and valuable addition to this literature)" —Rafael Lopes Azize (Federal University of Bahia)
Link here: https://cosmosandtaxis.files.
Robert Vinten is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in Lisbon, Portugal, working on a project concerned with Wittgenstein and religious epistemology. He studied history and philosophy in Glasgow, going on to obtain a doctorate at Universidade Nova in Lisbon in Wittgensteinian philosophy.
Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part 1 The Nature of Philosophy and of Social Science; 1. Is There Such a Thing as a Social Science?; 2. Wittgenstein and Relativism; Part 2 Does Wittgenstein’s Work Have Ideological Implications?; 3. Was Wittgenstein a Conservative Philosopher?; 4. Was Wittgenstein a Liberal Philosopher?; 5. Leave Everything as It Is; 6. Eagleton’s Wittgenstein; Part 3 Applying Wittgenstein’s Work to Problems in Social Philosophy; 7. Wittgenstein and Freedom of the Will; 8. Wittgenstein and Justice; Bibliography; Index.