Abstract

“Wittgenstein belongs to history,” writes Thomas Carroll at the beginning of his book . But contrary to what many analytic philosophers think these days, Carroll’s point is not that Wittgenstein belongs only to history; rather, Carroll wants to highlight the relevance of Wittgenstein’s thought for contemporary philosophy of religion, and to do so, in part, by situating Wittgenstein within his historical context. More specifically, the book’s main aims are three: firstly, to question received interpretations of Wittgenstein and to thereby indicate, more broadly, that received interpretations of philosophers should not be taken for granted; secondly, to show how a particular sensibility, which Carroll designates the “ethic of perspicuity,” runs through Wittgenstein’s work as a whole, constituting one of its guiding motifs; and thirdly, to emphasize the important role that philosophy of religion, especially of the sort inspired by Wittgenstein, can play in enhancing understanding ac ..