How to Make Opposite Ends Meet

Abstract

As we all know, thee is no consensus on dividing Wittgenstein’s philosophy into
periods. Here, I will endorse the view that his philosophy consists of two
opposite periods such as early and late, at least as far as the notion of
meaning is concerned. I will try to show this by means of two opposite
approaches on meaning in analytic philosophy, absolute objective approach and
pragmatic approach. To this aim, I will correlate the views expressed in
Tractatus with the absolute objective approach and the views expressed in
Philosophical Investigations with the pragmatic approach. In doing this, I will
try to compare and contrast both views on the basis of the notion of meaning.
Then I will further claim that this claim does not imply that his philosophy
consists of opposite and incompatible (two) periods. I will come to the
conclusion that these two opposite approaches put forward by Wittgenstein are
opposing but not incompatible.