ABSTRACT
This chapter examines whether the idea of the history of philosophy as a means of communication can actually be seen at work in Wilfrid Sellars's dealings with a specific philosopher. The specific philosopher the chapter focuses on is Ludwig Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein's case is especially worth investigating, for reasons that pertain both to Wittgenstein's side and to Sellars's side. Sellars explicitly refers to Wittgenstein's later work, in particular, the Philosophical Investigations, where Wittgenstein criticizes the so-called Augustinian picture of language. The reference to Wittgenstein is clear and straightforward: not only in this context does Sellars refer to the case of a child, but he also evokes the case of a "carrier of slabs", which directly calls to mind § 2 of the Investigations. Sellars's use of the Tractatus raises a further, interpretative issue: which interpretation of the Tractatus is adopted by Sellars? Sellars's own interpretation of the Tractatus is rather original and, at the same time, controversial.
