Wittgenstein's ontological vision
Abstract
This thesis is a study of the ontological dimensions of the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and the Philosophical Investigations of Ludwig Wittgenstein in light of the concepts of 'noetic knowledge' and “the mystical”. Part I is an exposition of the themes of world, language, and meaning
within the Tractatus. It is the presentation of an ontology in which the understanding of meaning is that of being expressing itself. Philosophy is seen to be a method for the attainment of 'the mystical' which is understood to be the raison d'etre of the Tractatus as a whole. Part II is an examination of weltanschauung as the fundamental direction of the Investigations and a study of the concepts of the world,
language, and meaning as the 'global solution' of philosophical problems.
The predominant ontological theme is that of a 'functioning totality' and this theme emerges from the notions of grammar' and 'use' as they are found within the Investigations. The understanding of meaning here presented is that of being itself and 'the mystical' is portrayed more fully as
the fruit of philosophy. Both the Tractatus and the Investigations are treated as philosophical 'literature' rather than philosophical 'argument' and both are understood as speech-acts in themselves. This thesis emphasizes the compatibility and
continuity between the two texts and attempts to correlate the life of
Wittgenstein with the philosophy he performed and wrote. The final chapter of the thesis considers the questions of the future of philosophy and the speaking of the unspeakable in accordance with this
ontological interpretation of the Wittgensteinian enterprise.