The Philosophy of Apel and the Problem of Thinking without Language
Abstract
The article examines the claim that meaningful thinking depends on language in relation to the philosophy of Karl-Otto Apel. Firstly, it interprets Apel´s position on this issue and puts forward the thesis of a «real dependance», according to which meaningful thinking depends on the existence of a natural language. Secondly, a variety of counterexamples to the latter thesis are being examined. Thirdly, the paper analyses the idea of a «virtual dependency», according to which meaningful thinking depends on its being expressible by a natural language. The fourth and last section sets limits to the latter claim but applies it to the presuppositions of argumentation.
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