Skip to main content

Impossible Colours: Wittgenstein and the Naturalist’s Challenge

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
How Colours Matter to Philosophy

Part of the book series: Synthese Library ((SYLI,volume 388))

  • 568 Accesses

Abstract

With the rise of naturalistic philosophy, conceptual analysis has faded into the background, and Ludwig Wittgenstein’s account of reddish green and transparent white as grammatically excluded has been written off or ignored. While his view of such impossible colours is, as he himself saw, open to question, so too is the naturalist’s alternative.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Billock, V. A., & Tsou, B. H. (2010). Seeing Forbidden colors. Scientific American, 302(2), 72–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Billock, V. A., Gleason, G. A., & Tsou, B. H. (2001). Perception of forbidden colours in retinally stabilized equiluminant images. Journal of the Optical Society of America, 18(10), 2398–2403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Broackes, J. (1993). Review of Westphal 1987. The Philosophical Quarterly, 43, 233–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crane, H., & Piantinada, T. P. (1983). On seeing reddish green and yellowish blue. Science, 221 (4615), 1078–1080.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Danto, A. C. (1993) Forward. In Hardin 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dennett, D. (1991). Consciousness explained. Boston: Little Brown.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, N. (1978). Review of Remarks on colour. The Journal of Philosophy, 75, 503–504.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardin, C. L. (1993). Color for philosophers. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing. Expanded edition.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horner, E. (2000). There cannot be a transparent white. Philosophical Investigations, 23, 218–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lugg, A. (2010). Wittgenstein on reddish green: Logic and experience. In A. Marques & N. Venturinha (Eds.), Wittgenstein on forms of life and the nature of experience. Bern: Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lugg, A. (2014a). Wittgenstein on transparent white. Wittgenstein-Studien, 5, 207–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lugg, A. (2014b). When and why was remarks on colour written – And why is it important to know? In S. Riegelnik & F. Gierlinger (Eds.), Wittgenstein on colour. Berlin: De Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quine, W. V. (1953). Two dogmas of empiricism. In W. V. Quine (Ed.), From a logical point of view (2nd ed. 1980, pp. 20-46). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quine, W. V. (1960). Word and object. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quine, W. V. (1974). Roots of reference. La Salle: Open Court.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quine, W. V. (1976). Ways of Paradox (Revised and enlarged ed.). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quine, W. V. (1992). Pursuit of truth (Revised ed.). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westphal, J. (1987). Colour: Some problems from Wittgenstein. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittgenstein, L. (1922). Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Tr: C.K. Ogden. Reprinted (including revisions) 1990. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittgenstein, L. (1953). Philosophical investigations. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittgenstein, L. (1967). Zettel. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittgenstein, L. (1975). Philosophical remarks (2nd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittgenstein, L. (1976). Lectures on the foundations of mathematics (1939). Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittgenstein, L. (1977). Remarks on colour. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittgenstein, L. (1979a). Wittgenstein’s lectures: Cambridge 1930–1932. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittgenstein, L. (1979b). Wittgenstein’s lectures: Cambridge 1932–1935. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittgenstein, L. (1980a). Remarks on the philosophy of psychology (Vol. 1). Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittgenstein, L. (1980b). Remarks on the philosophy of psychology (Vol. 2). Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittgenstein, L. (1992). Last writings on the philosophy of psychology (Vol. 2). Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

As usual I am grateful to my friend Paul Forster for very useful comments and encouragement.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew Lugg .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Lugg, A. (2017). Impossible Colours: Wittgenstein and the Naturalist’s Challenge. In: Silva, M. (eds) How Colours Matter to Philosophy. Synthese Library, vol 388. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67398-1_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics