Words, Deeds, Bodies: L. Wittgenstein, J.L. Austin, M. Merleau-Ponty and M. Polanyi

Words, Deeds, Bodies by Jerry H. Gill concentrates on the interrelationships between speech, accomplishing tasks, and human embodiment. Ludwig Wittgenstein, J. L. Austin, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Michael Polanyi have all highlighted these relationships. This book examines the, as yet, unexplored connections between these authors’ philosophies of language. It focuses on the relationships between their respective key ideas: Wittgenstein’s notion of ＂language game,＂ Austin’s concept of ＂performative utterances,＂ Merleau-Ponty’s idea of ＂slackening the threads,＂ and Polanyi’s understanding of ＂tacit knowing,＂ noting the similarities and differences between and amongst them.

Jerry H. Gill, Ph.D., Duke University (1966), is Professor of Philosophy at Pima Community College in Tucson AZ. He is also Professor Emeritus from The College of St. Rose in Albany NY, and has published more than 30 books in the fields of philosophy and religion and over 150 articles in scholarly journals.