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    Wittgenstein's private language argument establishes that... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→Belief in other minds can be justified by extrapolating from one's own case via correlation between mental states and behaviour

    Wittgenstein's private language argument establishes that mental state concepts are themselves constituted by public, behavioural criteria, making introspective 'knowledge of one's own case' already theory-laden.

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    Key Terms

    Constituted by(describing what conditions would make something true)
    Made up of or determined by; in this case, what things would need to happen for something to count as true.
    Introspective(as used in epistemology and philosophy of mind)
    The ability to look inward and examine your own thoughts, feelings, and conscious experiences.
    Knowledge of one's own case(as the type of knowledge Wittgenstein questions)
    The idea that you have special, direct access to understanding your own experiences and mental states better than anyone else could.
    Mental state concepts(as what Wittgenstein believes depend on public criteria)
    Words and ideas we use to describe what's happening in our minds, like 'pain,' 'happiness,' or 'confusion.'
    Public, behavioural criteria

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    (as what supposedly determines mental states)
    Objective, shared, observable signs and rules that everyone can see and agree on—like how we know someone is in pain by their crying, grimacing, or saying 'ouch.'
    Theory-laden(in epistemology (theory of knowledge))
    Already shaped by or dependent on particular assumptions and theories you've already accepted, rather than being purely objective or neutral.
    Wittgenstein
    Ludwig Wittgenstein was an Austrian-British philosopher who fundamentally changed how people think about language and meaning in the 20th century. He argued that many philosophical problems arise from misunderstanding how words actually work in everyday life, rather than from deep metaphysical mysteries. His ideas influenced not just philosophy but also mathematics, logic, and even how people approach psychology and artificial intelligence today.
    knowledge(Distinguished from mere true belief, which may be the product of indoctrination and need not exercise deliberative capacities.)
    Justified true belief — true belief that has been arrived at through the exercise of deliberative capacities, including comparison of and deliberation among alternatives.
    private language argument
    Wittgenstein's argument depending on the assumption that for words to be meaningful, their use must be open to public checking.

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    Truth & Knowledge1 linkedConsciousness & Mind1 linked

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    Belief in other minds can be justified by extrapolating from one's own case via ...

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