Wittgenstein and The Problem of Other Minds (including his Beetle in a Box)

This video was made for PHIL241 at the University of Liverpool. It focusses on the problem of other minds, and whether it's a real problem at all. It first considers the epistemological problem of other minds, responses to it including the argument from analogy, and the inference to best explanation. Then the presentation moves on to the phenomenological approach, leading on to Wittgenstein's "Beetle in a Box" formulation of an answer from the Philosophical Investigations (1953).
He shows that the problem isn't one of knowledge, but one of being - that of our intersubjective world with others, and so the game the Cartesian sceptic wants to play is a pseudo-problem, and our intuition is correct. He highlights the meaningless of private sensations when labelled as a thing or a noun being one root of the problem. I then consider some questions and highlight a zen approach to other minds, better thought of as nonduality.
Comments and questions may be directed to me at syhr.co.uk

[@hahathatsgood]

Thanks so much for making this video! It's exactly what I was looking for. You bring together many authors with great clarity, summary, and analysis.

[@dx7tnt]

Thank you so much for your kind comments.

[@fr.hughmackenzie5900]

thanks, helpful. Nice to see the link between phenomenology and Wittgenstein. Not acknowledged enough.
In this regard Edith Stein's idea of empathy, and Levinas' approach are interesting - though they argue that it shows the reality of distinct persons - a move away from yourself and Heidegger.

[@dx7tnt]

Thank you for your comment. There's a philosopher called Soren Overgaard who wrote a good paper and book on Wittgenstein's phenomenal approach to the problem of other minds.