Throwing Away the Ladder Before Climbing it

Abstract

The paper discusses some aspects of the New Wittgen-stein debate, using Tractatus
6.54 as its starting point. First a brief genealogical account of the ladder
metaphor employed in 6.54 is provided. Then Wittgenstein’s later rejection of
the metaphor is considered and its conse-quences for the issue of continuity in
his thought, espe-cially in relation to his metaphilosophical stance, are
inves-tigated. Next, a critical account is given of some of the key moves of
resolute readers concerning the way they treat metaphysics, ethics and therapy
in the Tractatus. Finally, some features of the resolute readings are discussed
with regard to the relation of early Wittgenstein’s thought to the tradition of
modernity.