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Project:About Wittgenstein: Difference between revisions
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His most famous words: “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent” (''Tractatus logico-philosophicus'', 7). His last words: “Tell them I’ve had a wonderful life”. | His most famous words: “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent” (''Tractatus logico-philosophicus'', 7). His last words: “Tell them I’ve had a wonderful life”. | ||
==An outline of Wittgenstein’s thought== | == An outline of Wittgenstein’s thought == | ||
Wittgenstein’s philosophical works touched upon numerous critical points in contemporary philosophy. It is not incorrect to say that Wittgenstein’s major concern throughout his life was the investigation of language, but it would be reductive to limit the scope of his thought to the philosophy of language and logic. Wittgenstein was influenced by Hertz, Frege, and Russell, but also by Kraus, Spengler, Weininger, Schopenhauer, Tolstoy, and Kierkegaard. Nor were his influences limited to the philosophical sphere: Wittgenstein was an attentive reader of Goethe and an appreciator of German poetry. Music, moreover, and particularly the classical romantic music of the Liederists and Brahms, remained one of Wittgenstein's primary sources of inspiration. | Wittgenstein’s philosophical works touched upon numerous critical points in contemporary philosophy. It is not incorrect to say that Wittgenstein’s major concern throughout his life was the investigation of language, but it would be reductive to limit the scope of his thought to the philosophy of language and logic. Wittgenstein was influenced by Hertz, Frege, and Russell, but also by Kraus, Spengler, Weininger, Schopenhauer, Tolstoy, and Kierkegaard. Nor were his influences limited to the philosophical sphere: Wittgenstein was an attentive reader of Goethe and an appreciator of German poetry. Music, moreover, and particularly the classical romantic music of the Liederists and Brahms, remained one of Wittgenstein's primary sources of inspiration. | ||
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The discontinuity between Wittgenstein's early thought and his mature reflections has often been emphasized – even by Wittgenstein himself, in some passages – especially with regards to the evolution of his conception of the nature of language: as formally structured in the “early” Wittgenstein, and as linked to the variable forms of culture in the “later” Wittgenstein. However, lines of continuity can be discerned, especially in the conception of philosophy as a “critique of language" and the “ethical point” of philosophical work, which is not intended to operate as a foundation nor give rise to a theory, but rather reflects the transformative force of the human being. | The discontinuity between Wittgenstein's early thought and his mature reflections has often been emphasized – even by Wittgenstein himself, in some passages – especially with regards to the evolution of his conception of the nature of language: as formally structured in the “early” Wittgenstein, and as linked to the variable forms of culture in the “later” Wittgenstein. However, lines of continuity can be discerned, especially in the conception of philosophy as a “critique of language" and the “ethical point” of philosophical work, which is not intended to operate as a foundation nor give rise to a theory, but rather reflects the transformative force of the human being. | ||
==About Wittgenstein’s works and The Ludwig Wittgenstein Project’s policy== | == About Wittgenstein’s works and The Ludwig Wittgenstein Project’s policy == | ||
Wittgenstein wrote a lot but published little: a very short [[Review of P. Coffey, “The Science of Logic”|review of Peter Coffey’s ''The Science of Logic'']]; the ''Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus''; a [[Wörterbuch für Volks- und Bürgerschulen|dictionary]], or rather a spelling book, for German-speaking schoolchildren; an academic article by the title ''[[Some Remarks on Logical Form]]''; a letter to the editor of ''Mind''. Almost everything we now have in volume format was published posthumously. After Wittgenstein died in 1951, his appointed literary executors, G.E.M. Anscombe, R. Rhees and G.H. von Wright, were left with the task of sorting and grouping his handwritten notes and typescripts in order to publish them. | Wittgenstein wrote a lot but published little: a very short [[Review of P. Coffey, “The Science of Logic”|review of Peter Coffey’s ''The Science of Logic'']]; the ''Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus''; a [[Wörterbuch für Volks- und Bürgerschulen|dictionary]], or rather a spelling book, for German-speaking schoolchildren; an academic article by the title ''[[Some Remarks on Logical Form]]''; a letter to the editor of ''Mind''. Almost everything we now have in volume format was published posthumously. After Wittgenstein died in 1951, his appointed literary executors, G.E.M. Anscombe, R. Rhees and G.H. von Wright, were left with the task of sorting and grouping his handwritten notes and typescripts in order to publish them. | ||
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==Individual works== | == Individual works == | ||
This paragraph lists Wittgenstein’s writings that are available on this website and provides a very short introduction to their editorial history and philosophical content. | This paragraph lists Wittgenstein’s writings that are available on this website and provides a very short introduction to their editorial history and philosophical content. | ||