Late Wittgenstein’s money

This essay examines the contemporary discourse on inflation through the lens of Wittgenstein’s late work on language games. Using his concept of hinge propositions – beliefs upon which language games depend – I offer a novel perspective on the public good that is price stability. In particular, I fi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: L. Eden Steininger
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press
Series:Finance and Society
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Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S205959992400027X/type/journal_article
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Summary:This essay examines the contemporary discourse on inflation through the lens of Wittgenstein’s late work on language games. Using his concept of hinge propositions – beliefs upon which language games depend – I offer a novel perspective on the public good that is price stability. In particular, I first consider the inflation hypothesis as a derivative of the commodity theory of money and therefore inherently linked to a purely quantitative regime of monetary management. I then argue that, based on the hinge proposition that money is a creature of law, money’s value might instead be grasped and engaged on the basis of its political and qualitative dimensions.
ISSN:2059-5999