Wittgenstein, Heidegger, and the Paradox of Ineffability

Abstract

Wittgenstein and Heidegger are often cited as the greatest philosophers of the 20th Century. However, they are often taken to be very different kinds of philosopher, foundational to very different kinds of philosophy. While Wittgenstein is listed as one of the founders of the analytic tradition, Heidegger is listed as one of the founders of the continental tradition—traditions arising from a split in the Western tradition that took place around the start of the 20th century. Around a century later, these traditions continue largely apart. There is, however, a rising interest in the prospects for a rapprochement between the traditions owing to recent work on the limits of language, thought, and logic, which has uncovered surprising convergences in the thinking of Wittgenstein and Heidegger on these topics. This has in turn opened up further productive lines of inquiry of both historical and philosophical significance. We survey some of this work, with particular focus on the paradox of ineffability.