Fall of Language: Benjamin and Wittgenstein on Meaning

In his book "The Fall of Language," Alexander Stern examines Walter Benjamin's philosophy of language, exploring the nature of meaning by placing Benjamin in dialogue with Ludwig Wittgenstein. Benjamin argued that language is an all-encompassing medium of expression, not a means for communicating an extra-linguistic reality. Stern finds paths for understanding what language is and what it does by comparing Benjamin's work with Wittgenstein's.

Format: Hardback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 08 April 2019
Publisher: Harvard University Press

In his comprehensive exploration of Walter Benjamin's philosophy of language, Alexander Stern delves into the nature of meaning by engaging in a dialogue with Ludwig Wittgenstein. Benjamin, renowned for his essays on culture, aesthetics, and literature, also made significant contributions to the field of language philosophy. This early work, often considered obscure and mystical, holds valuable insights and anticipates, in certain respects, the later thought of Wittgenstein, a pivotal figure in the philosophy of language.

According to Benjamin, language itself is not a tool for conveying an external reality but rather a comprehensive medium of expression that encompasses all aspects of existence. Drawing from Johann Georg Hamann's notion of God's creation as a communication to humanity, Benjamin asserts that everything possesses meanings, and human language serves as a means of translating these pre-existing meanings rather than imposing them on the objective world. He characterizes the transformations that language undergoes as it evolves into human language as the "fall of language." This fall involves a shift from names, which mimic reality, to signs that arbitrarily designate reality.

While Benjamin's approach may initially appear dissimilar to Wittgenstein's, both philosophers reject a designative understanding of language. They are both preoccupied with Russell's paradox and strive to address what Wittgenstein refers to as the "bewitchment of our understanding by means of language." By placing Wittgenstein's work in dialogue with Benjamin, Stern sheds light on the historical context and the shift in Wittgenstein's thought. While the two philosophies diverge in significant ways, their comparison offers valuable insights into the complexities of language and its philosophical implications.

Weight: 740g
Dimension: 242 x 176 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780674980914