Philosophy of Mind Workshop 2008-02-12

Philosophical Imitations

Stanley Cavell, in "Austin at Criticism", writes: "...it would be something of an irony if it turned out that Wittgenstein's manner were easier to imitate than Austin's; in its way, something of a triumph for the implacable professor" (114). There are two well-known humorous imitations of Wittgenstein's manner, that might be taken to confirm Cavell's irony: Michael Frayn's "Fog-Like Sensations" and Jerry Fodor's Further Meteorological Addenda to PI. And, of course, there is Derek Jarman's Wittgenstein movie. But Austin's manner has not completely avoided humorous imitation. There is a Beyond the Fringe sketch performed by Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller in the 1960s that parodies the style of ordinary language philosophy: (Bennett and Miller engaging in Ordinary Language Philosophy)A short excerpt: Bennett: Other people have jobs to do, don't they? Um, what do people do these days... um, well, they...Miller: ...

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