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SUMMARY:Rulers\, clocks and common sense: metrology as a key to Wittgenste
 in's On Certainty - Martin Kusch (Department of History and Philosophy of 
 Science)
DTSTART:20090604T153000Z
DTEND:20090604T170000Z
UID:TALK17779@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Lauren Kassell
DESCRIPTION:The paper suggests a new interpretation of Wittgenstein's last
  notebooks that were published posthumously under the title _On Certainty_
 . I seek to show that the common-sense certainties at issue in these noteb
 ooks can best be understood on the model of metrological standards (like t
 he prototype meter in Paris). Along the way\, I defend Wittgenstein's cont
 roversial claim that the prototype meter is not one meter long (against Kr
 ipke)\; illustrate the relevance of metrological analogies for many of Wit
 tgenstein's central concerns (in the philosophy of psychology and mathemat
 ics)\; highlight the influence of Einstein's ideas on clock synchronisatio
 n\; and explain the nature of Wittgenstein's anti-sceptical argument. (The
  talk is non-technical and does not presuppose any prior knowledge of eith
 er Wittgenstein or metrology.)
LOCATION:Seminar Room 2\, History and Philosophy of Science\, Department o
 f
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