Wittgenstein’s Philosophy of Language, Realism or Idealism?

Shaqaqi, Hossein

doi:10.22059/jop.2025.397925.1006915

Document Type : Scientific-research

Author

Hossein Shaqaqi

Assistant professor, Department of contemporary intercultural studies, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies.

https://doi.org/10.22059/jop.2025.397925.1006915

Abstract

The later philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein is interpreted by some commentators as realist, while others regard it as idealist. Each of these camps supports its interpretation by citing specific passages from his works. The first group primarily bases its argument on ideas such as the centrality of ordinary understanding and everyday language in Wittgenstein’s philosophy of language. In contrast, the second group emphasizes the primacy of language over any form of theorizing and interprets language as playing a subjective role in his work. Beyond these two camps, a third group of interpreters understands Wittgenstein’s thought as neither realist nor idealist. This group argues that Wittgenstein rejects the kind of metaphysical theorizing characteristic of the history of philosophy and therefore cannot be aligned with either idealism or realism. In this paper, after presenting the reasons advanced by all three groups of interpreters, I defend an idealist interpretation based on two main points. The first concerns understanding idealism in Wittgenstein’s thought through his notion of family resemblance. The second concerns how idealism can be attributed to Wittgenstein’s philosophy in a way that does not conflict with his rejection of metaphysical theorizing.

Keywords

Main Subjects

philosophy

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Wittgenstein’s Philosophy of Language, Realism or Idealism?

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Volume 23, Issue 2 - Serial Number 45February 2026Pages 73-49

Volume 23, Issue 2 - Serial Number 45
February 2026
Pages 73-49