This essay is the last work by the philosopher Norman Malcolm, before his death in the summer of 1990. Malcolm draws together a large collection of remarks made by Wittgenstein at various stages of his life and in many different contexts, which are expressive of his attitude to religion. He discusses both some of the ways in which Wittgenstein was drawn to religious ways of thinking and also speculates concerning the barriers which stayed him from full religious commitment. Malcolm connects these barriers with Wittgenstein's commitment to philopsophy. He discusses what he takes to be the most...

First published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Sociální vědy mají odedávna sklon věnovat značnou pozornost vlastnímu statusu a zvláště vztahu k vědám přírodním. Peter Winch se ve svém rozsahem nevelkém, přesto však obsažném a velmi přehledném pojednání Idea sociální vědy snaží vybudovat sociálnímu bádání pevné filosofické základy, přičemž východiskem jsou mu Wittgensteinova zkoumání jazyka, významu a pravidel. Z wittgensteinovského pojetí podle Winche nutně plyne, že mezi vědami přírodními a sociálními existují zásadní a nepominutelné rozdíly. Na příkladu idejí sociálních...

In the fiftieth anniversary of this book's first release, Winch's argument remains as crucial as ever. Originally published in 1958, The Idea of a Social Science and Its Relation to Philosophy was a landmark exploration of the social sciences, written at a time when that field was still young and had not yet joined the Humanities and the Natural Sciences as the third great domain of the Academy.

A passionate defender of the importance of philosophy to a full understanding of 'society' against those who would deem it an irrelevant 'ivory towers' pursuit, Winch draws from...