GOVT 86.33 Wittgenstein and Contemporary Politics

This seminar focuses on the philosophical thought of Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) and explores its applicability to contemporary politics. The seminar is divided into three parts. In the first part, students will become broadly familiar with Wittgenstein’s philosophical thought, especially his understanding of language games, forms of life, family resemblances, and rule following (weeks 1-4). In the second part of the seminar, we explore Wittgenstein’s philosophical thought in the context of contemporary political theory. In the third part, students will form small groups and present a political issue of their choosing to the class, and lay out and discuss a “Wittgensteinian” approach to understanding and thinking about the issue (weeks 7-9).

Instructor

Turner

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:TMV; WCult:W

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