Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-995ml Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T07:20:19.103Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

8 - Contested concepts, family resemblances and tradition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

Hans-Johann Glock
Affiliation:
Universität Zürich
Get access

Summary

Geo-linguistic, historiographical, formal, material and ‘ethical’ conceptions of analytic philosophy have all been found wanting. Have we reached the end of the line? We certainly face an impasse. It may seem that we are forced to conclude (with Preston 2004) that analytic philosophy does not constitute a distinctive phenomenon. At the very least it looks as if we have to agree with Leiter when he claims: ‘I don't think anyone knows what “analytic philosophy” is’ (2004b).

Fortunately, we do not have to throw in the towel quite yet. So far we have considered different kinds of analytic definitions of analytic philosophy, definitions in terms of conditions which are individually necessary and jointly sufficient for being part of analytic philosophy. But there are legitimate concepts that do not allow of an analytic definition. Indeed, we have encountered such concepts in our odyssey up to this point. Neither the family resemblance concepts that feature in Wittgenstein's later attack on his youthful quest for the essence of language (ch. 2.5) nor the genetic concepts central to Williams' argument in favour of historicism (ch. 4.2) are defined analytically. What is more, there is yet another possibility. It arises straight out of the rationalistic conception discussed in chapter 6.5. That conception in effect turns ‘analytic philosophy’ into an honorific title, one that signifies what has come to be known as an essentially contested concept.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×