In his post-Tractatus work on natural language use, Wittgenstein defended the notion of what he dubbed the autonomy of grammar. According to this thought, grammar - or semantics, in a more recent idiom - is essentially autonomous from metaphysical considerations, and is not answerable to the nature of things. The argument has several related incarnations in Wittgenstein's post-Tractatus writings, and has given rise to a number of important insights, both critical and constructive. In this paper I will argue for a potential connection between Wittgenstein's autonomy argument and some more recent internalist arguments for the autonomy of semantics. My main motivation for establishing this connection comes from the fact that the later Wittgenstein's comments on grammar and meaning stand in opposition to some of the core assumptions of semantic externalism.
Dobler, Tamara. The Autonomy of Grammar and Semantic Internalism
2014, Filozofija i Društvo, 25(1), pp. 144–163.
Added by: Veronica Cibotaru
Abstract:
Comment: This is a good introduction to Wittgenstein’s post‑Tractatus view on grammar and its relationship to metaphysics. It can also serve as further reading on Wittgenstein’s theory of language, as well as on the contemporary debate on semantic internalism and externalism.