Wittgenstein's Folly: Philosophy, Psychoanalysis and Language Games

Wittgensteins Folly: Philosophy, Psychoanalysis, and Language Games is a dialogue between Ludwig Wittgenstein, Françoise Davoine, and Davoine's patients with extreme lived experience. It explores the psychotherapy of madness and trauma, using a dialogic form to create new language games that make the mad more familiar and manageable. The book is of interest to psychoanalysts, academics, and students in psychoanalytic studies, philosophy, and trauma-related studies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 246 pages
Publication date: 25 October 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Wittgensteins Folly: Philosophy, Psychoanalysis and Language Games is a captivating dialogue that takes place between philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, author Françoise Davoine, and Davoine's patients who have undergone extreme and profound experiences. This book begins with a seminar conducted by Davoine at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, which Wittgenstein attends. From there, he accompanies Davoine on visits to colleagues at the Austen Riggs Center in Massachusetts, in California, on a Sioux reservation in South Dakota, and at Freud's house in Vienna. The unique dialogic format of the book allows for a performance centered on the psychotherapy of madness and trauma, with Wittgenstein taking the lead. Davoine introduces us to a contemporary "Feast of Fools," creating new language games that bring madness into the realm of psychoanalytic exploration. The chapters of this book resemble short plays, where conversations between living human beings, characters from philosophy, literature, science, and the arts intersect and initiate the exploration of new ways of speaking that can make the mad more familiar and manageable.

Wittgensteins Folly: Philosophy, Psychoanalysis and Language Games will be of immense interest to psychoanalysts, as well as academics and students engaged in psychoanalytic studies, philosophy, and trauma-related studies. This book offers a profound exploration of the intersection between philosophy, psychoanalysis, and language, shedding light on the complexities of human experience and the potential for healing and transformation. Through its engaging and thought-provoking narrative, Wittgensteins Folly invites readers to engage in a deeper understanding of the human mind and psyche, and to explore new avenues for addressing the challenges of mental illness and trauma.

Weight: 460g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032568676
Edition number: 2 ed