Certainty in Action: Wittgenstein on Language, Mind and Epistemology

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In Certainty in Action, Danile Moyal-Sharrock describes how her encounter with Wittgenstein overturned her previous assumptions that the mind is a product of brain activity and that thought, consciousness, the will, feelings, memories, knowledge and language are stored and processed in the brain, by the brain. She shows how Wittgenstein enables us to veer away from this brain-centred view of intelligence and behaviour to a person-centred view focusing on ways of acting that are both diversely embedded across forms of human life and universally embedded in a single human form of life. The book traces the radical importance of action as the cohesive thread weaving through Wittgenstein's philosophy, and shows how certainty intertwines with it to produce new ways of engaging in epistemology, the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of language. This selection of Moyal-Sharrock's essays vividly illustrates some of the ways in which Wittgenstein's pioneering enactivism has impacted and can further impact not only philosophy, but also neighbouring disciplines such as linguistics, psychology, primatology, evolutionary psychology and anthropology. Certainty in Action is essential reading for students and researchers of these disciplines, and for anyone interested in getting a grasp of Wittgenstein's lasting genius and influence.

Reviews

Anyone interested in understanding the roots of mind, language and knowledge should read this marvellous and timely collection of essays. Moyal-Sharrock is one of most powerful and respected voices in todays Wittgenstein scholarship. The powerful analyses she provides in the pages of this collection are the perfect and much-needed antidote to tenacious over-intellectualising tendencies that are so prevalent in the contemporary philosophical scene. * Daniel D. Hutto, Senior Professor of Philosophical Psychology and Head of the School of Liberal Arts, University of Wollongong, Australia *
Daniele Moyal Sharrock argues that in addition to the early and late Wittgenstein, there is a third Wittgenstein and a third Wittgenstein masterwork: On Certainty. She defends this claim with powerful arguments and admirable lucidity. She explores On Certainty with insight, sensitivity, and philosophical passion, shedding light on epistemology and grammar alike. A laudable achievement. * P.M.S. Hacker, Emeritus Research Fellow, St Johns College, University of Oxford, UK *
Danile Moyal-Sharrock is the leading authority on Wittgensteins On Certainty and one of the pioneers of hinge epistemology. The essays collected here form a serious challenge to work both within and beyond the Wittgensteinian tradition. Professor Moyal-Sharrock's philosophical approach helps resolve some of the most important problems in contemporary theories of knowledge, mind, and language. The result is a powerful form of enactivism which puts human behaviour in its rightful place, at the centre of philosophical enquiry. * Constantine Sandis, University of Hertfordshire, UK *
Moyal-Sharrock is one of the worlds foremost philosophers working on Wittgensteins later writings, especially On Certainty. This volume, which brings together many of the key themes in her work, will be indispensable reading for all those interested in the later Wittgensteins contribution to contemporary philosophy. * Duncan Pritchard, UC Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Irvine, USA *

Author Bio

Danile Moyal-Sharrock is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire, UK.