Cavell on Language: What is it in Language that Makes the Skeptical Worry Possible?

What is it in language that makes skepticism possible? To answer this question within a Cavellian framework we need to turn first to a somewhat technical discussion of the Wittgensteinian notion of ‘criteria.’ At stake here is not just the question of how Wittgenstein’s texts use this concept but two related systematic inquiries: first, can reference to criteria of proper language use serve as a bulwark against skepticism? Second – and more importantly – what constitutes normativity in what we consider proper language use?1 How to understand what counts as linguistic normativity (and how it is achieved or threatened) will turn out to be central to Cavell’s vision of language and to his dealings with the skeptic.