ABSTRACT
For much of the twentieth century, metaphysics was held in disdain by a majority of analytic philosophers. Old questions about reality gave way to questions about talk about reality: philosophy took the linguistic turn. The linguistic turn was the product of a philosophical Weltanschauung that encompassed Wittgenstein (early and late), Carnap, Quine, Ryle, Austin, and their many disciples. The movement waned, but its infl uence has lingered in the practices of analytic philosophers, even those who would regard themselves as opponents of old-style linguistic philosophy.
