Propounded a "picture theory" where language is a solitary tool to mirror reality. Gellner critiques this as an ahistorical, "atomic" vision of thought.
In contrast, Gellner presents as the more successful mediator. As the founder of modern fieldwork, Malinowski argued that language serves two primary functions: Pragmatic: Its practical use in daily, active life. Ritual: Its role in binding a community together. Language and Solitude: Wittgenstein, Malinowski...
The "Robinson Crusoe" model where an individual constructs knowledge and worldviews in isolation. Propounded a "picture theory" where language is a
The "Carpathian Village" model where meaning is entirely dependent on a closed, communal culture. Two Faces of Wittgenstein As the founder of modern fieldwork, Malinowski argued
Wittgenstein’s career is often divided into two phases that Gellner views as extreme responses to this dilemma:
Shifted toward " language games " where meaning is determined by social use. Gellner argues this merely "transplanted" the problem, making truth subservient to local custom. Malinowski’s Ethnographic Solution