![PRIVATE LANGUAGE PROBLEM [ADDENDUM]: An entry from Gale's <i>Encyclopedia of Philosophy</i>](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/nav2/dp/no-image-avail-img-map._V192545771_AA240_.gif)
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Although the proper formulation and assessment of Ludwig Wittgenstein's argument (or arguments) against the possibility of a private language continues to be disputed, the issue has lost none of its urgency. At stake is a broadly Cartesian conception of experiences that is found today in much philosophy of mind. In §243 of Philosophical Investigations (1967; see also §256) Wittgenstein introduces the idea of a language in which "a person could write down or give vocal expression to his inner experiences—his feelings, moods, and the rest—for his private use....
