The Department of Philosophy Colloquium Series is pleased to present

David Bakhurst
(Queen's University)

"Anscombe versus Austin"

Date: Thursday, September 12, 2024

Time: 4:00 pm

Watson Hall, Room 517

My topic is the relation between Elizabeth Anscombe’s form of linguistic philosophy and the ordinary language philosophy of J. L. Austin. In Metaphysical Animals, Clare Mac Cumhaill and Rachael Wiseman observe that Anscombe and Austin hated each other and portray Anscombe’s loathing as expressing a deep aversion to Austin’s conception of philosophy. In response, some commentators have criticised this interpretation, arguing that Anscombe’s contempt for Austin was grounded in merely personal reasons, which prevented her from appreciating that Austin was involved in a similar reformatory project to Wittgenstein and Anscombe herself. In my paper, I evaluate this dispute, exploring the similarities and differences between Anscombe’s and Austin’s ideas of philosophy—focusing on their notorious symposium on pretending and their respective writings on perception and its objects. I will argue that attention to the metaphysical dimensions of Anscombe’s “grammatical” inquiries can reveal the ways in which Austin’s philosophy is, by comparison, superficial.

EVERYONE WELCOME 

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