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Language has usually been accepted as the key to reality, and in the case of science and philosophy the more exact the language the closer one gets to the real nature of things. This has made language seem like a magical and mysterious thing - how can the word get right up to the thing it is about? This fascination with language in both its use and its mystery has given rise to deep unspoken, unexamined views about the world, human consciousness, and language itself which underlies and distorts our attempts to understand ourselves and our surroundings. Both Wittgenstein and Derrida were well aware of the dangers inherent in theorizing and each developed a unique style of working with particular cases to expose the dangers of discourse. Both philosophers tried to avoid theorizing themselves, merely leaving reminders and then disappearing from the scene; this is something new in conceptual matters and makes these philosophers difficult to understand. This course examines by practicing, the parallel methods of Wittgenstein and Derrida and will work through some of their important texts. This is philosophy as art and practice rather than theory and provides a challenge to theorizing in general. The course is seminar style requiring student presentations, discussions and paper.
Level: Advanced. Class limit: 15.
John Visvader
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