Abstract

When people speak today of »postanalytic philosophy«, it seems as if the linguistic turn that analytical philosophy since Russell and Wittgenstein completed, has been taken back and reputiated, and in fact the return to a »pure«, i.e. prelogical and pre-linguistic consciousness of facts has gained new attractiveness. On the other hand, we must insist that for philosophy language is not only the primary issue, but also the medium that cannot go behind. This can be shown by criticism of the traditional instrumental understanding of language, that goes back to Herder and Humboldt. The analytical project of philosophy retains its currency as a program for the criticism of language, even after its impressive self-criticism, as an indispensable aspect of philosophical enlightenment.