Wittgenstein’s career is often divided into two phases that Gellner views as extreme responses to this dilemma:
Gellner argues that both men were shaped by a specific historical crisis: the tension between a fading, traditional multicultural empire and the rise of modern, individualistic universalism. This environment forced a choice between two "solitudes": Language and Solitude: Wittgenstein, Malinowski...
The "Carpathian Village" model where meaning is entirely dependent on a closed, communal culture. Two Faces of Wittgenstein Wittgenstein’s career is often divided into two phases
In contrast, Gellner presents as the more successful mediator. As the founder of modern fieldwork, Malinowski argued that language serves two primary functions: Pragmatic: Its practical use in daily, active life. Ritual: Its role in binding a community together. As the founder of modern fieldwork, Malinowski argued
Shifted toward " language games " where meaning is determined by social use. Gellner argues this merely "transplanted" the problem, making truth subservient to local custom. Malinowski’s Ethnographic Solution
The "Robinson Crusoe" model where an individual constructs knowledge and worldviews in isolation.