Category mistakes and logical grammer: Ryle's Husserlian tutelage

Abstract

Gilbert Ryle never pursued research under Edmund Husserl. However, Ryle was indeed Husserl's student in a broader sense, as much of his own work was deeply influenced by his studies of Husserl's pre-World War I writings. While Ryle is the thinker whose name typically comes to mind in connection with the concern over category mistakes I argue that 1) Husserl deserves to be known for precisely this concern as well, and 2) the similarity between them is no accident. Developing this reading of Ryle's Husserlian pedigree forces a broader re-evaluation of each of their roles in twentieth-century thought.