Wittgenstein and the Problem of Phenomenology

Abstract

In early Wittgenstein, simple objects are phenomenological objects. In October 1929 Wittgenstein gave up phenomenological objects as references of names, but still maintained a phenomenological ontology. Later, he envisaged phenomenological languages as an alternative "notation." The contrast between physicalistic and phenomenological discourse than turns on the principle of identification relied on. This helps to understand the meaning of "phenomenology" (as distinguished from "phenomenalism") in Wittgenstein as well as his views on time, memory, solipsism, private language, and identity.