"This book sets out to defend Wittgenstein against the charge that he is a linguistic idealist. The early chapters are concerned to elucidate what linguistic realism and linguistic idealism claim, and to show how Wittgenstein's contribution to an understanding of the relation between language and reality cuts through these two opposite philosophical theses without embracing either of them.

In this context the author also compares Wittgenstein with Kant, bringing out the similarities and differences in their views. The book then moves on to look at various contemporary philosophers who have either charged Wittgenstein with or defended him against linguistic idealism: Williams, Anscombe, Diamond, Putnam. It concludes by returning once more to Wittgenstein and the comparison between him and Kant, and finally adds a comparison between Wittgenstein and Simone Weil."--BOOK JACKET.