A Trilemma for Defenders of the Private Language Argument

Abstract

In this article, we consider several responses to Wittgenstein’s private language argument ( PLA ) beginning with A.J. Ayer’s “Robinson Crusoe” thought experiment from his 1954 symposium with Rush Rhees. While I’ll claim that Ayer’s response is unsound and doesn’t imperil a properly understood version of the PLA , it does point towards more enduring concerns. Even if private language is impossible, the PLA may not preclude the possibility of “solitary” speakers –isolated individuals who are the sole speakers of languages they develop, even though others could later learn these languages. I present an analysis of these problems as a trilemma for defenders of the PLA and offer a response that suggests some ways to defuse it.