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The road not taken

G.N. Mathrani's Wittgensteinian transformation of philosophy

P. G. Jung

pp. 165-193

Abstract

This essay discusses the philosophical engagements of Ghanshyam Nevandram Mathrani, who aberrated from the dominant trends of philosophizing in India then, and began his philosophical career under the influence of the Wittgensteinian approach to philosophy. The essay is thus about the first Anglophone Indian philosopher to operate exclusively with the Wittgensteinian spirit of scepticism towards the philosopher's understanding, and her misuse, of language. The first and the second sections of this essay contextualize Mathrani's philosophical engagement within the philosophical environment of his times. The third and fourth sections present Mathrani's view on language and his stand on the nature of metaphysical propositions and consequently his qualified rejection of them. The concluding section then presents Mathrani's reconciliation of metaphysical propositions within the Wittgensteinian folds through his thesis of logical emergent .

Publication details

Published in:

Deshpande Sharad (2015) Philosophy in colonial India. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 165-193

DOI: 10.1007/978-81-322-2223-1_9

Full citation:

Jung P. G. (2015) „The road not taken: G.N. Mathrani's Wittgensteinian transformation of philosophy“, In: S. Deshpande (ed.), Philosophy in colonial India, Dordrecht, Springer, 165–193.