From Reductionism to Contextualism: L. Wittgenstein and the Dimensions of Modern Cosmology

by Pavlo Sobolievskyi^1
1 Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Kyiv, Ukraine)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29202/phil-cosm/35/10
Received: 5 June 2025 / Accepted: 16 August 2025 / Published: 10 October 2025

This article offers a consideration of potential ways to apply the methodology of the philosophy of everyday language to solve modern problems of cosmology and the philosophy of cosmology. Modern cosmology emerges as an independent scientific discipline, the goal of which is a comprehensive understanding of the Universe in its entirety – in the context of space, time, as well as from the point of view of its physical properties and evolutionary dynamics. Cosmology requires a systematic analysis and construction of knowledge about the cosmos, which cannot be simplified to simple empirical data due to their complexity. Modern cosmology must be focused on advanced experimental approaches, should have solid theoretical basis, and coresponded to deep philosophical analysis.The critique of fragment 608 of Wittgenstein’s Zettel, which is part of the critique of cognitive reductionism, reveals an alternative philosophical perspective on language and thought. Wittgenstein views language as a social phenomenon implicit in social practices and forms of life and thinking as a human activity in the world. This change in methodological position from reductionism to contextualism makes it possible to consider cosmology not only as an objective description of reality, but also as a collective interpretation of human existence in the cosmos. Thus, Wittgenstein’s views make it possible to consider cosmology as knowledge at the intersection of science, philosophy, and culture, allowing to solve pressing methodological issues through linguistic analysis.

Keywords: modern cosmology, philosophy of cosmology, ordinary language philosophy, linguistic analysis, Wittgenstein

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Sobolievskyi, Pavlo (2025) From Reductionism to Contextualism: L. Wittgenstein and the Dimensions of Modern Cosmology. Philosophy and Cosmology, Volume 35, 236-245. https://doi.org/10.29202/phil-cosm/35/10