Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to show that there are resources in the writings of both Ludwig Wittgenstein and Chuang Tzu for a third position that is neither modern-style absolutism nor postmodern relativism. This discussion focused on exploring a philosophical approach to overcome the limits of both modern scientism and postmodern relativism, by applying the methods of Wittgenstein and Chuang Tzu, in the post-Enlightenment intellectual context. For this goal I suggested a re-interpretation of Wittgenstein and Chuang Tzu. In this discussion Wittgenstein's method of ubersehen and Chuang Tzu's methods for attaining to a multidimensional comprehensive perspective shows a means to avoid the two extremes of scientism and relativism and also a proposal for overcoming incommensurability. ;This dissertation has three parts. ;In part 1, I argued that Wittgenstein pursued an ethical vision, and for his goal he showed the limits of scientism insofar as scientism is assumed to be based on the firm foundation of mathematics and science. In Wittgenstein's view, the absolute firm foundations of mathematics and science are in fact conventional "language-games" and "forms of life." Through his notion of the "language-game" he demolished the absolute foundation of science and mathematics. ;Part 2 argued how the ancient Chinese philosopher Chuang Tzu suggested the method of a multidimensional comprehensive perspective to overcome the problems of both relativism and what postmodern critics would identify as foundationalism. For this goal I re-interpret Chuang Tzu and suggested that his notion of the "Tao Pivot" shows us a way to overcome the limits of context-oriented relativism. ;Part 3 applied Wittgenstein and Chuang Tzu's methods to overcome the limits of radical postmodern relativism, especially the problem of incommensurability. In Wittgenstein's view, if we achieve the viewpoint of ubersehen , we can dissolve the source of the problem---incommensurable understanding, or incommensurable ways of seeing. Wittgenstein's notion of ubersehen can be linked to Chuang Tzu's multidimensional perspective. Taken together they can provide a means to overcome the limits of radical relativism