Wittgenstein on the Human Spirit provides a new understanding of Wittgenstein’s discourse as an insightful philosophy of culture, pursued through self-reflection. It offers an edifying perspective on the conceptual underpinnings of culture as a shared expressive spiritual form of life. The ideas investigated in it are highly relevant for discussions in philosophy, aesthetics, anthropology, and cultural studies. The book embraces three studies: The Spirit of Jews, The Spirits of Culture and Civilization, and The Common Spirit of Human Beings. The first discusses Wittgenstein's remarks about Jews, focusing on their place within his philosophical thinking, self-reflection, and European discourse about culture and Jews. It shows how overcoming the anti-Semitic attitude implicit in them set off the major change in his philosophy. The second discusses Wittgenstein’s reflections on the “deterioration of culture” in the modern period, showing how they are related to his remarks about following rules. The third discusses Wittgenstein’s insights regarding the symbolic nature of myth, magic and religion. It suggests that modern human beings and those of ancient cultures possess a common expressive spiritual nature. This enables us to understand expressive practices in other cultures without interpretation. Nonetheless religious belief during the modern period is problematic.
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Weitere Infos & Material
J. D. Mininger: Editorial Foreword
Preface
First Study: The Spirit of Jews
Remarks on the Spirit of Jews
Philosophical Clarifications
Clarifying the Concept of a Jew
The Philosophical Background
Genius, Talent, Character, and Intellect
Stereotypes, Symbols, and Ideologies
From Prototypes to Family Resemblances
Wittgenstein Confronts His Attitude toward Jews
In Search of Less “Dangerous Phrases”
Second Study: The Spirits of Culture and Civilization
Announcing “The Disappearance of a Culture”
A Lock Constructed from a Concealed Spiritual Distinction
Culture and Its Spiritual Manifestations
Civilization and Its Spiritual Manifestations
Reflecting on Wittgenstein’s Remarks on Culture and Civilization
Third Study: The Common Spirit of Human Beings
Frazer’s Explanation of Myth, Magic, and Religion
Wittgenstein’s Criticism of Frazer’s Conceptual Explanation
Wittgenstein’s Criticism of Frazer’s Historical Explanation
Wittgenstein’s Methods of Attaining Insight about Spiritual Rituals
Philosophical Reflections on Wittgenstein’s Comments
Endnotes
Bibliography
About the Author
Index
Yuval Lurie is Professor Emeritus at Ben Gurion Unversity in Beer Sheva, Israel, where he has taught philosophy since 1973. He received his philosophy degrees from Tel Aviv University and Cornell University. He has published articles in philosophical journals on philosophy of mind, culture, ethics, and Wittgenstein’s philosophy. Among his books are Cultural Beings: Reading the Philosophers of Genesis (2000); Tracking the Meaning of Life: A Philosophical Journey (2006); and Mavo le-kisme ha-filosofyah: etikah u-musar (Introduction to the Magic of Philosophy: Ethics and Morality, 2007, Hebrew)
