Wittgenstein - On Certainty - Review

On face value, On Certainty is a surprisingly accessible Wittgenstein text, exploring the notions of 

epistemology(theory of knowledge) and scepticism (idea that true knowledge can be sought but 

cannot be found) or "knowing" and "doubting", however, the work, on closer examination, cleverly 

argues these positions in the epistemological tradition from clearly different perspectives, thus 

On Certainty is more complex than it appears.

Written in the last eighteen months of Wittgenstein's life (the last entry days before his death) it is a 

response to Moore's articles, `Proof of the External World" and "Defence of Common Sense". 

According to the editors, Anscombe and von Wright, Wittgenstein told Moore that these were his 

best articles.

In entry 83, Wittgenstein writes:

"The truth of certain empirical propositions belongs to our frame of reference".

This is a foundationalist argument, proposing that our knowledge of the world and its truth, belongs 

to our particular frame of reference - context is everything, underlying all our assertions.

Another perspective that Wittgenstein proposes is the position of Relativism: in this view there are

 no foundations or absolutes, truth changes with the times, circumstances and social conditions. 

He writes,

65: "When language-games change, then there is a change in concepts, and with concepts the meaning

 of words change."

Interestingly, relativism is the perfect tool for the sceptic, because knowledge is depended on time and 

circumstances, and therefore can be sought, but never found.

Doubt itself is depended on certainty, as one must hold a premise in order to reject it.

115: "If you tried to doubt everything you would not get far as doubting anything. The game of doubting 

itself presupposes certainty."

In fact this, really, is the core premise of On Certainty that knowledge can only exist if doubt is possible. 

Doubt relies on content of what we know, our frame of reference that is inherent in all our assumptions 

regarding existence.

Reading On Certainty is a stimulus for thought, pushing us to analyse our assumptions about 

knowledge, that truth depends on our concept frameworks through which we view the world.

Recommended to all students of contemporary philosophy.