Wittgenstein and the First Person Conference

As early as 1916, Wittgenstein wrote: ‘The I, the I is what is deeply mysterious’. His fascination with questions surrounding the first person continued throughout his life. This is shown in the discussion of solipsism in the Tractatus, the thoughts about the use of ‘I’ as subject and as object after his return to Cambridge in 1929, and the remarks on the asymmetries between first- and third-personal sentences in the Investigations. Wittgenstein’s reflections raise questions about the reference of ‘I’, its linguistic functions, as well as the nature of the subject and its relation to the world. This conference aims to explore the wider philosophical ramifications of these themes in the context of contemporary philosophy of language and mind.

Speakers: Bill Child (University of Oxford), Professor Jane Heal (University of Cambridge), Dr Rachael Wiseman (University of Durham), Professor Jose Zalabardo (University College London)

Website and booking: Wittgenstein and the First Person Conference