Abstract

This paper focuses on the first reference to pragmatism in Ludwig Wittgenstein’s manuscripts, dating back to the beginning of 1930. The remark refers to the pragmatist conception of truth. In what follows, I will offer ahistorical framework for as better understanding of this reflection, and show how it was embedded within a philosophical atmosphere in which the roots of various philosophical perspectives merged into each other. Different possible sources of Wittgenstein’s perception of pragmatism will be examined, including William James’ and Charles S. Peirce’s writings and Wittgenstein’s conversations with Frank P. Ramsey in 1929. The analysis is meant to illustrate the relevance of this early “encounter” with the pragmatist tradition for the development of Wittgenstein’s thought.