Title

Ludwig Wittgenstein and Hermann Broch: The Need for Fiction and Logic in Moral Philosophy

Author

Christopher Bailes, Washington University in St. LouisFollow

Author's School

Graduate School of Arts & Sciences

Author's Department/Program

Germanic Languages and Literatures

Language

English (en)

Date of Award

5-24-2012

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Chair and Committee

Michael Lutzeler

Abstract

Many philosophers consider Ludwig Wittgenstein to be the most important philosopher of the twentieth century. His works have been read primarily by experts in philosophy, but one exception is the novelist and contemporary of Wittgenstein's, Hermann Broch. Broch believed that by limiting philosophy to the logical clarification of thoughts, ethical problems cannot suitably be addressed and explored. He thought that rational arguments and fiction play a complementary role in revealing to us our moral commitments and in shaping our conceptions of a good life. Broch was influenced by Wittgenstein's Tractatus and anticipates some important ideas from Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations. This study looks at how Wittgensteinian themes influenced, or have parallels to, Broch's theoretical and literary writings.

Comments

Permanent URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.7936/K70R9MGZ

Recommended Citation

Bailes, Christopher, "Ludwig Wittgenstein and Hermann Broch: The Need for Fiction and Logic in Moral Philosophy" (2012). All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs). 681.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/etd/681