Books by Matthias Kiesselbach
Doubts regarding the intellectual respectability of everyday ethical discourse primarily relate t... more Doubts regarding the intellectual respectability of everyday ethical discourse primarily relate to two of its fundamental assumptions. Firstly: ethical judgments are truth-apt. Secondly: ethical claims are claims of reason. The author offers a new line of defense for these assumptions. The principal reference points in his argument are Ludwig Wittgenstein's and Robert Brandom's pragmatist contributions to the philosophy of language. If we understand the pragmatics of language - including ethical language - correctly, the author argues, then some of the main philosophical worries regarding ethical thought and talk disappear all by themselves.
Seit langem kursieren Zweifel an der intellektuellen Redlichkeit des alltäglichen ethischen Diskurses. Diese Zweifel beziehen sich vor allem auf zwei seiner fundamentalen Annahmen. Erstens: Ethische Urteile sind wahrheitsfähig. Zweitens: Ethische Forderungen sind Vernunftforderungen.Der Autor liefert eine neuartige Verteidigung dieser Annahmen. Hauptbezugspunkte sind dabei die sprachphilosophischen Ansätze Ludwig Wittgensteins und Robert Brandoms.Werden die pragmatischen Züge der Sprache verstanden, so die These des Buches, verschwinden einige der größten Sorgen der Moralphilosophie ganz von selbst.
Papers by Matthias Kiesselbach
Ethics, Policy & Environment, 2021
It is well-established that policy aiming to change individual consumption patterns for environme... more It is well-established that policy aiming to change individual consumption patterns for environmental or other ethical reasons faces a tradeoff between effectiveness and public acceptance. The more ambitious a policy intervention is, the higher the likelihood of reactionary backlash; the higher the intervention's public acceptance, the less bite it is likely to have. This paper proposes a package of interventions aiming for a substantial reduction of animal product consumption while circumventing the diagnosed trade-off. It couples stringent industry regulation, which lowers output and raises prices, with a targeted universal income at a level which would allow typical households to maintain their animal product consumption even at the postregulation price level. The change of opportunity costs of animal products, however, would induce a shift of consumption away from animal products while enhancing-rather than diminishing-consumer freedom and welfare. The policy package, which is further designed to cohere with traditional value orderings rather than relying exclusively on progressive concerns, is politically ambitious, but psychologically pragmatic. It constitutes an attempt to socialize the endeavor of bringing consumption patterns in line with ethical demands by empowering, rather than sanctioning, individuals, and relevant groups.
Zeitschrift für Semiotik, 2018
Dieser Artikel untersucht den meta-philosophischen Graben, der sich durch die P i t t s b u r g ... more Dieser Artikel untersucht den meta-philosophischen Graben, der sich durch die P i t t s b u r g h e r S c h u l e der zeitgenössischen Philosophie zieht. Es handelt sich dabei um eine Meinungsverschiedenheit über die Angemessenheit und Erfolgsaussichten philosophischer Erläuterungsversuche, in denen begriffliche Praktiken, welche wir nur implizit beherrschen, durch die Kombination einfacher und einfach zu überblickender praktischer Regeln nachkonstruiert werden. Während solche philosophischen Rekonstruktionen für Robert Brandom zu einem besseren Verständnis der relevanten Begriffe bzw. Vokabulare führen und damit ein taugliches Mittel für die analytische Philosophie sein können, hält John McDowell sie für Symptome eines fehlerhaften Verständnisses diskursiver Praxis und ihr Scheitern für unvermeidbar. Nach McDowell liegt die Aussichtslosigkeit („linearer“) philosophischer Rekonstruktionen im Holismus der Sprachkompetenz und der Intentionalität begründet: Zwischen konkreten begrif...
International Journal of Philosophical Studies
The question whether a constitutive linguistic norm can be prescriptive is central to the debate ... more The question whether a constitutive linguistic norm can be prescriptive is central to the debate on the normativity of meaning. Recently, the author has attempted to defend an affirmative answer, pointing to how speakers sporadically invoke constitutive linguistic norms in the service of linguistic calibration. Such invocations are clearly prescriptive. However, they are only appropriate if the invoked norms are applicable to the addressed speaker. But that can only be the case if the speaker herself generally accepts them. This qualification has led critics to argue that if an addressed speaker's acceptance is a necessary condition for legitimate prescriptions (and reproach for failure to adhere to them), then the account becomes unable to underwrite actual normativity. Moreover, critics argue, a danger of vicious circularity arises from the calibration account. This paper shows that once a vantage point within the calibration practice is accepted, the criticisms lose their force. It then explores why a theorist might reject such a perspective and suggests, as a plausible candidate, implicit Humean assumptions about the proper explanation of (linguistic) action. The paper ends by sketching a way forward for the debate on the normativity of meaning in light of this diagnosis.
Philosophie Magazin, 2022
Since the beginning of Russia's war on Ukraine, the list of Putin's and Lawrow's falsehoods has s... more Since the beginning of Russia's war on Ukraine, the list of Putin's and Lawrow's falsehoods has steadily grown in length. This paper argues that these falsehoods are not just lies, however, and that the Kremlin's games with truth and untruth seem to be more subtle than lying. The paper offers three interpretations of Putin's and Lawrow's war-time linguistic manoeuvers: offering rationalizations, trolling, and shifting meanings. The three interpretations are elucidated in the context of the central claim - or seeming claim - that the aim of the war is the denazification of Ukraine.
Philosophie Magazin, 2022
Why do activists with an ecological agenda face high levels of hatred, particularly in online com... more Why do activists with an ecological agenda face high levels of hatred, particularly in online communication? This short paper suggests that in a significant proportion of cases, the hatred is a reaction to moral judgments and moral criticism implicit in ecological and other ethical statements. It cites two kinds of psychological mechanism triggered by such implicit judgments in persons who are unwilling or unable to follow moral considerations made explicit by ecological activists: cognitive dissonance dissolution by denial and group identity processes. The paper concludes with recommendations about how to argue for green causes, and with an argument for a politics which actively helps citizens align their lives with their values.
Ethics, Policy and Environment, 2021
It is well-established that policy aiming to change individual consumption patterns for environme... more It is well-established that policy aiming to change individual consumption patterns for environmental or other ethical reasons faces a trade-off between effectiveness and public acceptance. The more ambitious a policy intervention is, the higher the likelihood of reactionary backlash; the higher the intervention’s public acceptance, the less bite it is likely to have. This paper proposes a package of interventions aiming for a substantial reduction of animal product consumption while circumventing the diagnosed trade-off. It couples stringent industry regulation, which lowers output and raises prices, with a targeted universal income at a level which would allow typical households to maintain their animal product consumption even at the post-regulation price level. The change of opportunity costs of animal products, however, would induce a shift of consumption away from animal products while enhancing – rather than diminishing – consumer freedom and welfare. The policy package, which is further designed to cohere with traditional value orderings rather than relying exclusively on progressive concerns, is politically ambitious, but psychologically pragmatic. It constitutes an attempt to socialize the endeavour of bringing consumption patterns in line with ethical demands by empowering, rather than sanctioning, individuals, and relevant groups.
International Journal of Philosophical Studies, 2020
The question whether a constitutive linguistic norm can be prescriptive is central to the debate ... more The question whether a constitutive linguistic norm can be prescriptive is central to the debate on the normativity of meaning. Recently, the author has attempted to defend an affirmative answer, pointing to how speakers sporadically invoke constitutive linguistic norms in the service of linguistic calibration. Such invocations are clearly prescriptive. However, they are only appropriate if the invoked norms are applicable to the addressed speaker. But that can only be the case if the speaker herself generally accepts them. This qualification has led critics to argue that if an addressed speaker's acceptance is a necessary condition for legitimate prescriptions (and reproach for failure to adhere to them), then the account becomes unable to underwrite actual normativity. Moreover, critics argue, a danger of vicious circularity arises from the calibration account. This paper shows that once a vantage point within the calibration practice is accepted, the criticisms lose their force. It then explores why a theorist might reject such a perspective and suggests, as a plausible candidate, implicit Humean assumptions about the proper explanation of (linguistic) action. The paper ends by sketching a way forward for the debate on the normativity of meaning in light of this diagnosis.
Zeitschrift für Semiotik, 2014
This article examines the meta-philosophical rift which runs through the Pittsburgh School of con... more This article examines the meta-philosophical rift which runs through the Pittsburgh School of contemporary philosophy. The rift is a disagreement about the appropriateness and likelihood of success of the kind of attempt at philosophical explanation in which implicitly mastered conceptual practices are reconstructed by way of combining simple and easily surveyable practical rules. While for Robert Brandom, such explanations can yield a genuinely better understanding of the target practice or vocabulary, and are thus an appropriate instrument for analytical philosophy, John McDowell considers them symptomatic of a wholly mistaken view of discursive practice, and takes their failure to be inevitable. According to McDowell, the futility of ("linear") philosophical reconstructions is due to the holistic structure of linguistic competence and hence intentionality itself: distinct concrete conceptual practices presuppose each other in holistic (and hence circular) ways. This article defends Brandom's thesis of the compatibility of the holism cited by McDowell on the one hand, and the possibility of philosophical explanation on the other, using a concrete example of a successful reconstruction which could be described as "linear" in McDowell's sense. Finally, two possible answers in support of McDowell's scepticism are discussed with a view to establishing room for a continuation of the debate.
Dieser Artikel untersucht den metaphilosophischen Graben, der sich durch die Pittsburgher Schule der zeitgenössischen Philosophie zieht. Es handelt sich dabei um eine Meinungsverschiedenheit über die Angemessenheit und Erfolgsaussichten philosophischer Erläuterungsversuche, in denen begriffliche Praktiken, welche wir nur implizit beherrschen, durch die Kombination einfacher und einfach zu überblickender praktischer Regeln nachkonstruiert werden. Während solche philosophischen Rekonstruktionen für Robert Brandom zu einem besseren Verständnis der relevanten Begriffe bzw. Vokabulare führen und damit ein taugliches Mittel für die analytische Philosophie sein können, hält John McDowell sie für Symptome eines fehlerhaften Verständnisses diskursiver Praxis und ihr Scheitern für unvermeidbar. Nach McDowell liegt die Aussichtslosigkeit ("linearer") philosophischer Rekonstruktionen im Holismus der Sprachkompetenz und der Intentionalität begründet: Zwischen konkreten begrifflichen Fähigkeiten gibt es holistische (und damit letztlich zirkuläre) Voraussetzungsverhältnisse. Dieser Artikel verteidigt Brandoms These der Kompatibilität zwischen dem von McDowell zitierten Holismus und der Möglichkeit philosophischer Rekonstruktionen mit einem konkreten Beispiel einer glückenden Rekonstruktion, welche in einer zentralen Hinsicht als „linear“ bezeichnet werden könnte. Schließlich werden zwei mögliche Antworten McDowells skizziert, aus denen sich Raum für eine Fortführung der Debatte ergeben könnte.
Acta Analytica, 2014
This paper defends the normativity of meaning thesis by clearing up a misunderstanding about what... more This paper defends the normativity of meaning thesis by clearing up a misunderstanding about what the thesis amounts to. The misunderstanding is that according to it, failing to use an expression in accordance with the norms which constitute its meaning amounts to changing the expression’s meaning. If this was what the thesis claimed, then it would indeed be easy to show that meaning norms do not yield prescriptions and cannot be followed. However, there is another reading: what is constitutive of meaning is not the norm’s being followed, but the norm’s being applicable. On this reading, some standard arguments against the thesis lose their force. After discussing the alternative reading and its consequences, the paper goes on to sketch a model of how norms of meaning become applicable in the first place. This model supports the view that talk of meaning has its pragmatic home in contexts of linguistic calibration.
Philosophical Investigations, 2012
According to a standard criticism, Robert Brandom's “normative pragmatics”, i.e. his attempt to e... more According to a standard criticism, Robert Brandom's “normative pragmatics”, i.e. his attempt to explain normative statuses in terms of practical attitudes, faces a dilemma. If practical attitudes and their interactions are specified in purely non-normative terms, then they underdetermine normative statuses; but if normative terms are allowed into the account, then the account becomes viciously circular. This paper argues that there is no dilemma, because the feared circularity is not vicious. While normative claims do exhibit their respective authors' practical attitudes and thereby contribute towards establishing the normative statuses they are about, this circularity is not a mark of Brandom's explanatory strategy but a feature of social practice of which we theorists partake.
Allgemeine Zeitschrift für Philosophie, 2010
This essay argues that there is room for a third position between moral particularism and moral g... more This essay argues that there is room for a third position between moral particularism and moral generalism in their orthodox forms. The view proposed in this essay is inspired by the later Wittgenstein's conception of grammar and holds that formulations of ethical principles can be interpreted as grammatical statements, while ethical problems can be interpreted as instances of grammatical tension. On this reading, situations in which ethical principles turn out to conflict come out as moments in the evolution of language. Three consequences are discussed and welcomed as general insights into the workings of language.
In diesem Essay wird argumentiert, dass zwischen dem moralischen Partikularismus und dem moralischen Generalismus in ihren orthodoxen Formulierungen Raum für eine dritte Position besteht. Die in diesem Essay beworbene, an Wittgensteins spätem Verständnis der Grammatik orientierte Position basiert auf dem Vorschlag, Formulierungen ethischer Prinzipien als grammatische Sätze und ethische Probleme als grammatische Spannungen zu interpretieren. In dieser Sicht erscheinen Situationen, in denen verschiedene ethische Prinzipien unerwartet konfligieren, als Stationen der sprachlichen Evolution. Drei Konsequenzen werden diskutiert und als generelle sprachphilosophische Erkenntnisse begrüßt.
ethic@, 2009
It is commonly thought that the prevalence of moral dissent poses a problem for the moral cogniti... more It is commonly thought that the prevalence of moral dissent poses a problem for the moral cognitivist, forcing her to diagnose either a lot of misunderstanding, or a lot of unexplained observational error. Since mere misunderstanding can be ruled out in most cases of moral dissent, and since the diagnosis of widespread unexplained error is interpretively unstable, prevalent dissent has pushed many philosophers towards non-cognitivism. In this essay, I argue that once a diachronic, pragmatist theory of language along the lines of the latest Wittgenstein is employed, a third interpretive option becomes available to the cognitivist. Besides the diagnostic options of misunderstanding and factual disagreement, she can argue that a given case of moral dissent is an instance of grammatical tension. This interpretation not only saves moral cognitivism, it also has some attractive theoretical implications. Among other things, it yields an elegant way of solving the current debate around moral particularism.
Hobbes Studies, Jan 1, 2010
This paper argues that throughout his intellectual career, Hobbes remains unsatisfied with his ow... more This paper argues that throughout his intellectual career, Hobbes remains unsatisfied with his own attempts at proving the invariant advisability of contract-keeping. Not only does he see himself forced to abandon his early idea that contractual obligation is a matter of physical laws. He also develops and retains doubts concerning its theoretical successor, the doctrine that the obligatoriness characteristic of contracts is the interest in self-preservation in alliance with instrumental reason - i.e. prudence. In fact, it is during his work on Leviathan that Hobbes notes the doctrine's main shortcoming, namely the limitation of its dialectical potential to cases in which contract-breakers are publicly identifiable. This essay shows Hobbes's doubts about his Leviathan's treatment of contractual obligation by way of a close reading of its central 15 th chapter and an analysis of some revealing shifts between the English Leviathan and the (later) Latin edition. The paper ends by suggesting that Hobbes's awareness of the flaws at the heart of his political philosophy helps account for some striking changes in his latest writings.
Conference Presentations by Matthias Kiesselbach
Papers of the 31st International Ludwig Wittgenstein Symposium, 2008
This essay argues that Wittgenstein's mature conception of language contains all the resources ne... more This essay argues that Wittgenstein's mature conception of language contains all the resources needed to answer a central question of moral philosophy: how can we hold on to moral principles in the face of the seeming impossibility to formulate a moral principle which is invulnerable to particularistic counter-examples? The essay argues that Wittgenstein's conception of language includes a plausible answer to an analogous threat to grammatical norms. The idea is that although all judgement is a matter of following grammatical norms, some judgements necessarily involve revisions of grammar. This happens when a language game is confronted with novel practical demands to which current grammar is unsuited. In these situations of grammatical tension, a judgement cannot be based on rules alone. Since nothing stands in the way to interpreting moral principles as propositions of grammar, Wittgenstein's reaction to the threat against grammatical norms serves as an answer to the ethical puzzle.
XXII. Deutscher Kongress für Philosophie, 2011
Papers of the 33rd International Ludwig Wittgenstein Symposium, 2010
This essay compares Humeanism to two views which have come to be the targets of well-known pragma... more This essay compares Humeanism to two views which have come to be the targets of well-known pragmatist attacks: the view of doubting as an inner-doing (argued against by Wittgenstein), and the view of sense-data as the foundation of all empirical knowledge (argued against by Sellars). The essay shows that the Humean view of passion as a necessary ingredient in all motivated action can be countered in much the same way as its two classical cousins. In all three cases, the classical, pre-pragmatist, view loses its attraction once proper attention is paid to the pragmatic role of the relevant attributions-attributions of beliefs and doubts (in Wittgenstein's case), of perceptual evidences and seemings (in Sellars' case)-and of practical reasons that do or don't motivate (in the Humean question). In all three cases, adherence to that pragmatic role yields a reversal of what is seen as the ordinary background, and what is seen as demanding explanation. With respect to Humeanism, the point is to recognise the attribution of a practical reason that fails to motivate as a complex linguistic manoeuvre which logically relies on, and can be elucidated in terms of, the simpler manoeuvre of attributing an ordinary, motivating, reason.
Uploads
Books by Matthias Kiesselbach
Seit langem kursieren Zweifel an der intellektuellen Redlichkeit des alltäglichen ethischen Diskurses. Diese Zweifel beziehen sich vor allem auf zwei seiner fundamentalen Annahmen. Erstens: Ethische Urteile sind wahrheitsfähig. Zweitens: Ethische Forderungen sind Vernunftforderungen.Der Autor liefert eine neuartige Verteidigung dieser Annahmen. Hauptbezugspunkte sind dabei die sprachphilosophischen Ansätze Ludwig Wittgensteins und Robert Brandoms.Werden die pragmatischen Züge der Sprache verstanden, so die These des Buches, verschwinden einige der größten Sorgen der Moralphilosophie ganz von selbst.
Papers by Matthias Kiesselbach
Dieser Artikel untersucht den metaphilosophischen Graben, der sich durch die Pittsburgher Schule der zeitgenössischen Philosophie zieht. Es handelt sich dabei um eine Meinungsverschiedenheit über die Angemessenheit und Erfolgsaussichten philosophischer Erläuterungsversuche, in denen begriffliche Praktiken, welche wir nur implizit beherrschen, durch die Kombination einfacher und einfach zu überblickender praktischer Regeln nachkonstruiert werden. Während solche philosophischen Rekonstruktionen für Robert Brandom zu einem besseren Verständnis der relevanten Begriffe bzw. Vokabulare führen und damit ein taugliches Mittel für die analytische Philosophie sein können, hält John McDowell sie für Symptome eines fehlerhaften Verständnisses diskursiver Praxis und ihr Scheitern für unvermeidbar. Nach McDowell liegt die Aussichtslosigkeit ("linearer") philosophischer Rekonstruktionen im Holismus der Sprachkompetenz und der Intentionalität begründet: Zwischen konkreten begrifflichen Fähigkeiten gibt es holistische (und damit letztlich zirkuläre) Voraussetzungsverhältnisse. Dieser Artikel verteidigt Brandoms These der Kompatibilität zwischen dem von McDowell zitierten Holismus und der Möglichkeit philosophischer Rekonstruktionen mit einem konkreten Beispiel einer glückenden Rekonstruktion, welche in einer zentralen Hinsicht als „linear“ bezeichnet werden könnte. Schließlich werden zwei mögliche Antworten McDowells skizziert, aus denen sich Raum für eine Fortführung der Debatte ergeben könnte.
In diesem Essay wird argumentiert, dass zwischen dem moralischen Partikularismus und dem moralischen Generalismus in ihren orthodoxen Formulierungen Raum für eine dritte Position besteht. Die in diesem Essay beworbene, an Wittgensteins spätem Verständnis der Grammatik orientierte Position basiert auf dem Vorschlag, Formulierungen ethischer Prinzipien als grammatische Sätze und ethische Probleme als grammatische Spannungen zu interpretieren. In dieser Sicht erscheinen Situationen, in denen verschiedene ethische Prinzipien unerwartet konfligieren, als Stationen der sprachlichen Evolution. Drei Konsequenzen werden diskutiert und als generelle sprachphilosophische Erkenntnisse begrüßt.
Conference Presentations by Matthias Kiesselbach
Seit langem kursieren Zweifel an der intellektuellen Redlichkeit des alltäglichen ethischen Diskurses. Diese Zweifel beziehen sich vor allem auf zwei seiner fundamentalen Annahmen. Erstens: Ethische Urteile sind wahrheitsfähig. Zweitens: Ethische Forderungen sind Vernunftforderungen.Der Autor liefert eine neuartige Verteidigung dieser Annahmen. Hauptbezugspunkte sind dabei die sprachphilosophischen Ansätze Ludwig Wittgensteins und Robert Brandoms.Werden die pragmatischen Züge der Sprache verstanden, so die These des Buches, verschwinden einige der größten Sorgen der Moralphilosophie ganz von selbst.
Dieser Artikel untersucht den metaphilosophischen Graben, der sich durch die Pittsburgher Schule der zeitgenössischen Philosophie zieht. Es handelt sich dabei um eine Meinungsverschiedenheit über die Angemessenheit und Erfolgsaussichten philosophischer Erläuterungsversuche, in denen begriffliche Praktiken, welche wir nur implizit beherrschen, durch die Kombination einfacher und einfach zu überblickender praktischer Regeln nachkonstruiert werden. Während solche philosophischen Rekonstruktionen für Robert Brandom zu einem besseren Verständnis der relevanten Begriffe bzw. Vokabulare führen und damit ein taugliches Mittel für die analytische Philosophie sein können, hält John McDowell sie für Symptome eines fehlerhaften Verständnisses diskursiver Praxis und ihr Scheitern für unvermeidbar. Nach McDowell liegt die Aussichtslosigkeit ("linearer") philosophischer Rekonstruktionen im Holismus der Sprachkompetenz und der Intentionalität begründet: Zwischen konkreten begrifflichen Fähigkeiten gibt es holistische (und damit letztlich zirkuläre) Voraussetzungsverhältnisse. Dieser Artikel verteidigt Brandoms These der Kompatibilität zwischen dem von McDowell zitierten Holismus und der Möglichkeit philosophischer Rekonstruktionen mit einem konkreten Beispiel einer glückenden Rekonstruktion, welche in einer zentralen Hinsicht als „linear“ bezeichnet werden könnte. Schließlich werden zwei mögliche Antworten McDowells skizziert, aus denen sich Raum für eine Fortführung der Debatte ergeben könnte.
In diesem Essay wird argumentiert, dass zwischen dem moralischen Partikularismus und dem moralischen Generalismus in ihren orthodoxen Formulierungen Raum für eine dritte Position besteht. Die in diesem Essay beworbene, an Wittgensteins spätem Verständnis der Grammatik orientierte Position basiert auf dem Vorschlag, Formulierungen ethischer Prinzipien als grammatische Sätze und ethische Probleme als grammatische Spannungen zu interpretieren. In dieser Sicht erscheinen Situationen, in denen verschiedene ethische Prinzipien unerwartet konfligieren, als Stationen der sprachlichen Evolution. Drei Konsequenzen werden diskutiert und als generelle sprachphilosophische Erkenntnisse begrüßt.