Old Patterns, New Bewitchments

Abstract

Recent inventions in communications technology have given rise to several changes in
the framework of everyday activities. These changes herald an imminent transformation
in the institutional framework, too. In the present paper, I’d like to focus on the
conceptual background of some obstacles which slow this transformation down.
M-learning, a recent and growing research field, provides a good example of the
decisive influence of old patterns while at the same time it emphasizes the
possibilities opened up by new communications technology. This perspective offers a
good opportunity to connect philosophical considerations, especially Wittgenstein’s,
to practical issues, and it also facilitates seeing Wittgenstein’s efforts as a
criticism of these hindering patterns. Some of Wittgenstein’s more opaque objections
can today be better understood in the light of recent cognitive science.