Wittgenstein and Scientism

Jonathan Beale is a Teacher of Philosophy in the Department of Classics, Philosophy and Theology at Queen Anne’s School, Caversham, UK.Ian James Kidd is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Nottingham, UK.

• Introduction: Wittgenstein and Scientism Jonathan Beale and Ian James Kidd1. Scientism as a Threat to Science: Wittgenstein on Self-Subverting Methodologies Chon Tejedor2. Superstition, Science, and Life David E. Cooper3. Rituals, Philosophy, Science, and Progress: Wittgenstein on Frazer Annalisa Coliva4. Wittgenstein’s Anti-scientistic World View Jonathan Beale5. Wittgenstein, Scientism, and Anti-Scientism in the Philosophy of Mind William Child6. Reawakening to Wonder: Wittgenstein, Feyerabend, and Scientism Ian James Kidd7. "Too Ridiculous for Words": Wittgenstein on Scientific Aesthetics Severin Schroeder8. How to Think about the Climate Crisis, via Precautionary Reasoning: A Wittgensteinian Case-study in Overcoming Scientism Rupert Read9. The Myth of the Quietist Wittgenstein Danièle Moyal-Sharrock10. Meaning Scepticism, and Scientism Genia Schönbaumsfeld 11. Wittgenstein, Science, and the Evolution of Concepts James C. Klagge12. Wittgenstein, Naturalism, and Scientism Benedict Smith.Index

"[T]his collection is a fine starting point for those interested in understanding the various ways in which Wittgenstein’s remarks both in philosophy and in general can be seen as in large part concerned with a defence against various forms of scientism." - Ryan Manhire, British Wittgenstein Society "This wonderful collection of essays helps to put Wittgenstein’s work in a historical and contemporary perspective vis-à-vis important questions about scientism. ... [T]his is a very good volume with which to plunge into the contemporary debates swirling around scientism, in and out of scholarly exchanges." Mariam Thlaos, Metascience "By bringing together essays written from different perspectives and focusing on different aspects of the issue, [this book] offers a wide-ranging overview not only of its many facets, but also of its complex interrelation with the most profound threads of Wittgenstein's thought. … [I]t is an important contribution that opens up several new vistas onto a familiar, though central, area of Wittgenstein's philosophy." - Anna Boncompagni, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews "A volume of fascinating and eminently valuable chapters. It successfully highlights the resources Wittgenstein brought to bear in resisting scientism not only within our culture and general world-view, but also in specific activities such as the philosophy of religion, philosophy of mind, philosophy of anthropology, philosophy of language, and aesthetics. Looking forward and further afield, it also indicates a range of ways in which his critique might be developed, and have a bearing on other sites of scientism." - John Preston, University of Reading, UK