Knowledge and Certainty: Essays and Lectures

This Cornell University Press publication presents the philosophical work of Norman Malcolm, one of the most important interpreters and defenders of Ludwig Wittgenstein's later philosophy. Malcolm's essays and lectures address fundamental questions in epistemology, philosophy of mind, and ordinary language philosophy, making complex philosophical arguments accessible to both academic and general audiences. His work played a crucial role in establishing Wittgenstein's influence in American philosophical circles and helped shape postwar analytical philosophy.

Malcolm's approach to philosophical problems reflects Wittgenstein's emphasis on examining how language actually functions in ordinary contexts rather than constructing abstract theoretical systems. His essays explore questions about knowledge, certainty, dreaming, and memory through careful analysis of how we actually use these concepts in daily life. This method challenged traditional philosophical approaches that sought to build grand theoretical structures, instead focusing on dissolving conceptual confusions through attention to ordinary language use.

The collection demonstrates Malcolm's skill in making Wittgensteinian insights accessible to readers unfamiliar with the Austrian philosopher's complex and often cryptic writings. His clear prose style and systematic approach to philosophical problems helped introduce American audiences to revolutionary ideas about language, meaning, and knowledge that were reshaping philosophical discourse in Britain. Malcolm's work contributed significantly to the development of ordinary language philosophy as a major movement in 20th-century thought.