Wittgenstein and society

the long version

"In this collection of essays Gavin Kitching argues that the whole project of a 'science of society' is radically misconceived - the pursuit of an objective that would not be desirable even if it were possible, but which is (fortunately) impossible. In the early essays, dating from the 1980s, Kitching still considers himself a 'social scientist' seeking, in Wittgenstein's philosophy, a sound philosophical 'basis' for this science. By the time we reach the last essays in the collection the author has become convinced that the pursuit of such a 'basis' is a chimera, and that while the forming and expression of well-informed opinions on social and political matters is one of the most important activities in which human beings can engage, doing that in the best and most persuasive possible way requires one to abandon any pretence of being a scientist. Kitching concludes with a very different understanding of Wittgenstein's philosophy from the one with which he began - an understanding which shows Wittgenstein to have been one of the most revolutionary and liberating thinkers of all time." "This book will appeal to philosophers of social science, sociologists and social and political theorists."--Jacket.