Lars Hertzberg - Böcker

In the interpretive literature from the 1950's through the 1970's the term 'criterion' was thought to be a central key to the understanding of Wittgenstein's later philosophy. Later on, it was relegated from this place of honour to being one of a variety of expressions used by Wittgenstein in dealing with philosophical questions. This Element tries to account for the shifting fate of this concept. It discusses the various occurrences of the word "criteria" in the Philosophical Investigations, argues that the post-Wittgensteinian debate about criteria was put on the wrong track by a problematic passage in Wittgenstein's early Blue Book, and finally gives an overview of the main contributions to this debate, trying to achieve a reconciliation between the rival conceptions.

This work is guided by the idea that Wittgenstein’s thought opens the door to a more profound break with the philosophical tradition than has been generally recognized. It brings this insight to bear on some basic problems of philosophy. Wittgenstein’s work has been assimilated to the analytic tradition in such a way that its radical character has been made nearly invisible. In fact, Wittgenstein formulates a basic critique of a predominant conception in contemporary analytic philosophy, according to which language can be seen as a formal structure describable in general terms. This conception neglects the profound context-dependence of the way things said are to be understood, thus imposing a schematic view of the connections between words and life. By distancing us from the life we live with language, it makes the problems of philosophy come to appear intractable. In this work, the attempt is made to show how philosophical confusions are to be overcome through attending to the actual use of words in conversation.

This book is an inquiry into the concept of legitimacy. In stable democratic states, such as the Nordic societies, legitimacy is often taken for granted. However, these essays show that this «treasure of politics» is very fragile. Legitimacy is understood as a gift bestowed on the authorities by citizens, rather than a means used by the authorities in order to remain in power. This emphasizes the role of the citizens rather than of the authorities. At the same time legitimacy is seen as an ethical assessment of those in power. In this volume, legitimacy is studied by philosophers, human rights scholars and theological ethicists. The articles cover inter-state political systems, nation states as well as conflict resolutions between individuals on a grass root level.