Cognitive Scaffold

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MENTAL MODEL · M11644

Wittgenstein's Ruler

Wittgenstein's Ruler
CultureHigh supportEpistemology
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-28

CORE DEFINITION

Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language is a 1982 book by philosopher of language Saul Kripke in which he contends that the central argument of Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations centers on a skeptical rule-following paradox that undermines the possibility of our ever following rules in our use of language. Kripke writes that this paradox is "the most radical and original skeptical problem that philosophy has seen to date."

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language is a 1982 book by philosopher of language Saul Kripke in which he contends that the central argument of Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations centers on a skeptical rule-following paradox that undermines the possibility of our ever following rules in our use of language. Kripke writes that this paradox is "the most radical and original skeptical problem that philosophy has seen to date."

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Anchor fast decisions

The measurer and the measured define each other: the accuracy of the ruler depends on the stability of the object, and in cognition, observation and standards calibrate each other.

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wittgenstein_on_Rules_and_Private_LanguageZH · Explicit
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