Words and Things

First published in 1959, this classic challenge to the prevailing philosophical orthodoxy of the day, remains the most devastating attack on a conventional wisdom in philosophy to this day.

Foreword by Bertrand Russell Introduction: The Saltmines of Salzburg or Wittgensteinianism Reconsidered in Historical Context I Of Linguistic Philosophy 1 Introductory 2 First Approaches 3 A Theory of Philosophy 4 A Theory of the World and of Language 5 A Theory of Mind II Of Language 1 The Theory of Language Expanded 2 Language Games 3 The Four Pillars 4 The Argument from Paradigm Cases 5 From Fact to Norm 6 The Contrast Theory of Meaning 7 General Comments on the Three Fallacies 8 The Cult of the Fox 9 Everything is Unlike Everything Else 10 The Best of all Possible Languages III Of Philosophy 1 Activity not Doctrine 2 The Imperturbable Universe 3 Flashback 4 Logical Atomism 5 Logical Positivism 6 Logical Constructions 7 Common Sense 8 Transition 9 Appearance and Reality, or Monsieur Jourdain's Revolt IV Of the World 1 The Secret of the Universe 2 Naturalism 3 A Special Kind of Naturalism 4 The Bait and the Trap 5 The Turn of the Screw 6 Triple Star 7 De Luxe V Of Knowledge VI Structure and Strategy Explanation of the Diagram and Instructions for Use VII Assessment VIII Implications IX Sociology X Conclusion