The "Robinson Crusoe" model where an individual constructs knowledge and worldviews in isolation.
In contrast, Gellner presents as the more successful mediator. As the founder of modern fieldwork, Malinowski argued that language serves two primary functions: Pragmatic: Its practical use in daily, active life. Ritual: Its role in binding a community together. Language and Solitude: Wittgenstein, Malinowski...
The "Carpathian Village" model where meaning is entirely dependent on a closed, communal culture. Two Faces of Wittgenstein The "Robinson Crusoe" model where an individual constructs
Shifted toward " language games " where meaning is determined by social use. Gellner argues this merely "transplanted" the problem, making truth subservient to local custom. Malinowski’s Ethnographic Solution Language and Solitude: Wittgenstein, Malinowski...
Wittgenstein’s career is often divided into two phases that Gellner views as extreme responses to this dilemma: