Wittgenstein, Lacan, and astonishment

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What can a dialogue between the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan teach us about experiences of astonishment, experiences of being struck by something that appears to be extraordinarily significant? A lot, Balaska argues. Both thinkers have a central interest in the dissatisfaction with meaning that these experiences generate when we attempt to articulate them in language, and for both thinkers, this frustration and difficulty with meaning reveals a more fundamental characteristic of our sense-making capacities –namely, their groundlessness. However, instead of a dooming verdict on language, Balaska thinks that both Witgenstein and Lacan can help us find in this revelation of meaning’s groundlessness an opportunity to acknowledge our own involvement in meaning, to creatively participate in it and thereby to enrich our lives.