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Keywords
J. L. Austin
history of analytic philosophy
G. Ryle
P. F. Strawson
How to Cite
Abstract
This paper is the first part of a reinterpretation of ordinary language philosophy––as it was originally developed in post-Second World War Oxford––against the historical background that accords it its true significance. I will focus on the philosophical legacy of J. L. Austin, the most prominent figure of this movement. Austin has often been treated as an illustrious but passé figure; yet this state of affairs is the result of a failure to read Austin’s work in a historically informed manner. I show that J. L. Austin’s philosophy is part of a movement founded in late-19th-century Oxford. This proposal challenges the established view, according to which ordinary language philosophy is peculiar to the post-Second-World-War scene. It also challenges the widespread prejudice that conceives of ordinary language philosophy as an offshoot of the later Wittgenstein’s philosophy. This proposal paves the way for fruitful applications of Austin’s work to contemporary concerns.
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