Wittgenstein’s vision of the explanatory linguistic framework of Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis

Abstract

Wittgenstein’s philosophy, in each of its two stages, presents criteria for evaluating psychoanalysis. The first evaluation explicitly rejects Freudian psychoanalysis, while the second one is surmised in this paper in order to accept Lacan’s version of psychoanalysis. To expose both evaluations, a theoretical conceptual analysis on Wittgenstein’s literature about Freud and about pragmatic linguistics is applied to: the rupture of the significant over the meaning that Lacan took from Saussure, the difference between statements and enunciations that Lacan took from Quine, and the difference between saying and demonstrating. This will lead to the understanding of Wittgenstein’s different postures toward psychoanalysis in both stages, and the reasons for accepting Lacan; providing evidence about how Lacan became Wittgenstein’s disciple and the value that the metaphor acquires in such consideration.