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Essayism as a form of writing and a form of life.
- Source :
-
Orbis Litterarum . Feb2024, Vol. 79 Issue 1, p90-107. 18p. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- As Wittgenstein still eludes classification as either an analytic or a poetic philosopher, this article considers his work under the perspective of essayism as a hybrid intellectual attitude that combines elements from both modes of thinking. Drawing on Adorno's and Musil's accounts, I present four characteristics of essayism that can be applied to Wittgenstein's writing: (a) essayism does not claim access to primal knowledge or an absolute starting point of thought, but typically reacts to given ideas; (b) it is systematic insofar as it is concerned with words, things, and events in systemic contexts rather than in isolation; (c) it is anti‐systematic insofar as it neither accepts the given conceptual system nor strives for an ultimate system in which all things are in their place and all problems ultimately solved; (d) it is aware of, and emphasizes, the mediatedness of its objects and warns of any equation of the conceptual ordering with the order of reality. As a consequence, essayism goes beyond a particular text form, but concerns an attitude towards the world that manifests itself in various forms. It thus turns out to be not merely a form of writing but ultimately a form of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *LIFE writing
*PROBLEM solving
*PHILOSOPHERS
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01057510
- Volume :
- 79
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Orbis Litterarum
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 175140056
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/oli.12317