Book Description
This revised edition of Sir Anthony Kenny’s classic work on Wittgenstein contains a new introduction which covers developments in Wittgenstein scholarship since the book was first published.

• Widely praised for providing a lucid and historically informed account of Wittgenstein’s core philosophical concerns.
  
• Demonstrates the continuity between Wittgenstein’s early and later writings.
  
• Provides a persuasive argument for the unity of Wittgenstein’s thought.
  
• Kenny also assesses Wittgenstein’s influence in the latter part of the twentieth century.

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent
This book started with some bio and then some basic logic (!), which I felt was condescending, but I quickly changed my mind when it became clear how important this was to understanding the Tractatus and W.'s later works.There are real insights in this book, i.e., it isn't just a basic introduction.
Furthermore, Kenny does an outstanding job of making it all clear in straightforward prose.He doesn't latch on to catch phrases or assume you are already a Wittgensteinian.He simply spells out the evolution of W.'s thought in a clear and precise way.
This is just good scholarship, whatever you may think of his interpretation at the end of reading it. ... Read more

Book Description
This collection contains hitherto unknown letters exchanged between Wittgenstein and the most important of his Cambridge friends and includes editorial notes based on archival material not previously explored.

• Incorporates many previously undiscovered unique and significant letters.
  
• A powerful record and intimate insight into Wittgenstein's life and thought.
  
• Extensive editorial annotations.

Book Description
This is a collection of the key articles written by renowned Wittgenstein scholar, G.P. Baker, on Wittgenstein’s later philosophy, published posthumously.

• Following Baker’s death in 2002, the volume has been edited by collaborator and partner, Katherine Morris.
  
• Contains articles previously only available in other languages, and one previously unpublished paper.
  
• Completely distinct from the widely-known work Baker did with P.M.S. Hacker in the Analytical Commentary on the Philosophical Investigations (Blackwell Publishing, 1980-1996).

Book Description
The life and culture of Hapsburg Vienna before World War I--the city of Freud, Schoenberg, Klimt, and Wittgenstein, whose philosophy announced the birth of the modern era. An independent work...challenging, new, and useful. --New York Times Book Review ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Kulturgeschichte of a remarkable cultural and intellectual watershed
This is a dazzlingly dense intellectual history of a time when there was an explosion of new ideas in both the arts and sciences.The place was Vienna, at the end of the Habsburg monarchy, where not only Sigmund Freud (psychlology) but also Loos (design), Schoenberg (music), Kochoscka (painting), and many others were establishing what we now call "modernism." It is also a philosophical tract of great depth, focusing on Wittgenstein.What is so remarkable is how commonplace their ideas and techniques have become in our everyday vocabulary - think "unconscious", but also "form follows function" - and how they all originated there, at the end of the 19C.

According to the authors, the starting point of the modernist movement is to be found in the deterioration of the Habsburg monarchy, spread as it was across a vast central european empire with dozens of languages and ethnic groups.To keep it all together in the face of rising nationalisms, the Habsburgs strove to maintain appearences of power and cohesion at all costs.This created a kind of living falsehood, in which issues were avoided by the use of code words and empty symbolic rituals.

Add to this the rise of new bourgeois fortunes, whereby a new middle classe arose based on industries.They too constructed their own private worlds within their homes, mimicing the Habsburgs and ignoring issues - in particular sexuality - to the point that it generated a latent hysteria in its women and anxiety in the working men, whose children despised them as fakes.Their houses were studded with overly ornate decorations, which were designed to ape the lifestyles of aristocrats, and they lived by elaborate codes of conduct and narrow career choices.

Obviously, this explains the biases in Freud's theories towards explaining too much by "suppressed impulses" buried in the unconscious (read hysterical women), but the authors argue that the great innovator of the age was Karl Krause, an independent satirist who called for honesty in language and the way one chose to live one's life.All of the others, they claim, were direct followers of Krause, from Klimt - he rebelled against the formalism of the royal academy of art with his Secessionist movement - to Wittgenstein and his study of language structure and meaning; even the great physicist Ernst Mach was apparently a follower of Krause, as was Canetti.They all knew eachother and were interested, and even participated, in eachothers' disciplines.This was a total surprise to me.

This is a fascinating intellectual tour (in the first 120 pages) that is evoked in dense prose that I had to read more than once to fully comprehend.I was particulary interested in their explanation of how Loos was attempting to strip away all ornament in an attempt to concentrate on the actual function of the buildings he designed as well as the household objects his followers created.This led directly to Bauhaus and all the other modernist schools of design, which exploited the new materials coming available, such as aluminum and tubular steel, to re-invent furniture, homes, and office spaces in ways that are still ripe for exploration today.I never understood the context in which this movement arose until I read this book.

The remaining 200 pages place Wittgenstein's philosphy in this context.To be honest, this interested me a lot less, but it is a must for students of modern philosophy. This is where the structure of language was explored, which led to the structuralists and to a degree the existentialists.It follows him to England, which comes in for heavy criticsm by the authors.In a way, this reads like a separate book.

Highly recommended.It is an intellectual adventure that is truly first rate.

An unforgettable book about an unforgettable time and place
As someone with a strong interest in modern philosophy as well as modern classical music, art and literature, I received more honest pleasure and enlightenment from reading this book than from any other book in recent memory. It is not per se a book about Wittgenstein, but rather an in-depth analysis of the milieu and mind-set of Vienna and its cultural elite circa 1900. Before immersing yourself into this delightful book, it might be a good idea to review the history of Austria-Hungary, how it came to be, the key events surrounding it, the emporer Franz Josef, and the territories which made up the dual monarchy. It also helps if you have some acquaintance with the German language, since German terms are used liberally throughout, often without denoting what those terms mean in English. Not being familiar with German, I found this mildly annoying, but certainly not enough to dampen my enthusiasm for this book.

Some of the most interesting sections of the book concern Viennese social philosophers and the artists whose works were a commentary on the corruption of the "gilded age": Otto Weininger, Kokoschka, Klimt, Schoenberg, Fritz Mauthner, and of course the unforgettable Karl Krauss. There is also a lengthy section on the scientific work of Mach and Hertz, the development of Hertz's "model" theory and its influence on Wittgenstein's Tractatus, as well as a beautifully written synopsis of Schopenhaur's philosophy.

And this is only the barest overview of a stupendously rich and rewarding book, one which all thoughtful people should and must read. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

THOUGHT AS AN HISTORICAL COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
PHILOSOPHY...PHILO-SOPHIA...THE LOVE OF TRUTH IS MOST DIFFICULT WHERE THOUGHT IS CONCERNED.BUT WAIT A MINUTE, DO WE NOT USE THOUGHT TO EXPRESS WHAT WE FEEL TO BE TRUE..PROVIDE A REASON FOR FEELING SUCH?AHHHH.THE PROBLEM..'WE' USE 'THOUGHT'.IS THE 'WE' DIFFERENT THAN 'THOUGHT'..IS THERE A LITTLE MAN/WOMAN SOMEWHERE IN THE BRAIN USING THIS TOOL CALLED THOUGHT?QUESTION THE PROCESS!I FEEL THAT WITTGENSTEIN FOUND LANGUAGE, THOUGHT TOO LIMITED TO COME UPON TRUTH. VIENNA WAS A HOTBED OF IDEATION WITHIN WHICH A PERSON SUCH AS A 'WITTGENSTEIN' COULD SEE WHERE THOUGHT WAS AND WAS NOT VALID.A WONDERFUL BOOK

Intellectual history, for better or for worse
This book is an attempt to situate Wittgenstein, particularly the Wittgenstein of the Tractatus, in the context of the larger modern 20th century Viennese cultural milieux. It emphasizes the importance of language and communication, or the lack thereof, in fin-de-siecle Viennese politics and society, and relates the interactions and mutual influences of Viennese cultural critics such as Karl Kraus upon the positive philosophy of Wittgenstein and the Vienna Circle. It is not intended as an introduction to Wittenstein's thought and should not be read as such. This book is written for students of cultural and/or philosophical history who want a sense of the cultural origins of early modern positivism in philosophy.

intellectual history??
okay i've been trained both in sociology and philosophy and would say the book brings the poorest of both worlds.. never believed in intellectual history in general, but this kind of book, with its judgements about Kierkeggardian or Wittgensteinian 'individualism' as a 'natural pathology' of early twentieth century continental bourgeoise society, does nothing but buttress the self-complacency of our now liberal societies. Therefore despite some 'interesting' anectodes and impressions from Habsburg Vienna, the philosophical depth of the book doesnt go above our usual journalistic wisdom. I dont understand how other reviewers found this book brilliant or anything like that. I think recommendable as passtime only. ... Read more

Book Description
In Wittgenstein in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Wittgenstein's life and ideas, and explains their influence on man's struggle to understand his existence in the world. The book also includes selections from Wittgenstein's work; a brief list of suggested reading for those who wish to push further; and chronologies that place Wittgenstein within his own age and in the broader scheme of philosophy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

NINETY MINUTES POORLY SPENT
By now I have read several of Paul Strathern's "90-minute" introductions to individual philosophers, each no longer than the average magazine article. Strathern always sketches the philosopher's life and personality vividly, but there is so little detail or substance you wind up with only the vaguest idea of the man's philosophy. Such was the case here with Wittgenstein, whose work is skated over with laughable superficiality. Avoid this silly series.

Philosophy is letting the fly out of the fly bottle -twice
This narrative of Wittgenstein's life brilliantly illuminates his character and his philosophy. Wittgenstein as a character fascinates. His principled approach to reality, his mad determination to fight to the end to know the ' truth'are at the heart of the story. The son of one of the wealthiest families in Austria of the thirties his overpowering and dominant father apparently paralyzed Wittgenstein's three brothers and did a good job of helping make him one of the strangest great philosophers of all. Wittgenstein is according to Strathern the only one of the great philosophers aside from Leibniz who had two different total answers to the questions of philosophy. One of the faults of the book is that Strathern does not do justice to the second philosophy that of ' The Philosophical Investigations' which he understands to be a nitpicking kind of wordplaying. And this when he does an excellent job of explaining Wittgenstein's first work ' The Tractatus'.
I found one of the most interesting parts of the work to be the story of Wittgenstein's relationship with Russell. How Russell who had attempted to in the ' Principia ' with Whitehead found all Mathematics on the basis of Logic was first corresponded with, then visited, then somehow forced into endless philosophical dialogue with Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein would not leave Russell or the truth alone, and as far as Strathern could discern succeeded eventually in finishing off Russell as a philosopher as he went beyond him.
Wittgenstein was a soldier in the first world war and a heroic one. The 'Tractatus' in which he thought he had answered all the problems of philosophy was completed when he was in a prisoner- of -war camp. 'The world is everything that is the case' he begins. And in a series of aphoristic staccato declarations he believes himself to polish off the whole of the Western philosophical tradition. He then retires from philosophy and goes off to be a village schoolteacher where his highly principled approach turns out to be absolutely inappropriate to the simple village children he teaches. He returns to philosophy when he understands that he has not really solved it all. He even reluctantly goes back to Cambridge where he teaches for fifteen years in the style which so entranced many of his devotees. The little room , the long silences, the pained expression, the waiting, and then the eruption of the ' thought'. Strathern says that the only who ever dared to contradict him in these sessions was another brilliant suicidal mind , Turing. In any case out of these probings came the 'Philosophical Investigations ' with its obsession with ordinary language. By the way a bit ironically one of the concepts Wittgenstein developed in that work is that of - family resemblance- which has to do with defining the essence of a concept and understanding that it does not have a simple single essence ordinarily but ' overlapping characteristics ' with a ' family of other concepts' as if were a series of 'Venn diagrams'.That is to say it is doubtful that Strathern or anyone else has defined the ' essence' of Wittgenstein in his particular effort.
Another side of Wittgenstein illuminated in the work is his turn to religion, and his mystical connection with the work of Tolstoy and the idea of a kind of holy simplicity. Saint Wittgenstein canonized by his university acolytes aimed perhaps more to be something like Saint Tolstoy who too had a predilection for divesting himself of the family fortune.
Wittgenstein, Strathern makes clear was arrogant to the point of insensitivity to the feelings of others. And yet there was something touching childlike in his arrogance, and certainly something great in his determination to think out the problem to the end.
He is one of the remarkable originals of philosophy and I think Strathern is correcting in discerning that his work verges on a kind of poetry.
It is ironic that so many have tried to follow the example of one who was truly a 'singularity' and a great one at that.
One negative moral note. Wittgenstein unfortunately had the habit of interfering in other peoples lives, and ruining them. His arrogance was that he knew for everyone what was best for themselves, understood music better than Mahler and literary criticism better than F.R. Leavis.
How strange and paradoxical that God often gives the greatest gifts of genius to those who are not particularly wonderful in their relations with their fellow human beings.
Among the Wittgensteinian gems which have become part of common philosophical parlance are :
" A philosophical problem has the form. I don't know my way about"
" What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence."
" Philosophy is letting the fly out of the fly bottle"

Ninety minutes you'll never get back
Glib and condescending. The writer seems unwilling or perhaps just unable to come to terms with Wittgenstein's thought, so the whole book is nothing more than a series of snipes and jabs at Wittgenstein and his philosophy. When the author cannot come to terms with Wittgenstein's post-Tractatus thought, he simply dismisses it as bad philosophy. This is second-rate journalism, and gives innocent readers nothing intellectual to feed upon. I am disgusted that someone with such an obvious axe to grindregarding this particular philosopher, should be given the job of providing an overview of Wittgenstein's thought and genius. Well, I guess it takes one to know one. As Albert Einstein once said: "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."
Get Monk's bio for a real depiction of the philosopher, one that actually comes to grip with his thought.
Don't waste your time on this book. Unless you need something to line the bottom of your birdcage.

appalling
I must have misunderstood the title -- I thought it meant that you could read the book in 90 minutes, not that it had been written in 90 minutes.The biographical sketch is fine, and a bit entertaining, though Strathern too often goes in for easy sarcasm and makes too many jokes at the expense of his subject.But his pretension to have dealt in any way whatsoever with Wittgenstein's thought is simply outrageous.There are in total about 7 pages devoted to Wittgenstein's work, which do not even provide the barest bones of the beginnings of the glimmerings of an understanding of this profound and difficult thinker.In this age, of course, the idea that one can attain a deep comprehension of a difficult topic with almost no effort is almost irresistible; but I fear greatly that this glib and shallow work will make people who might well have enjoyed reading Wittgenstein feel that they no longer need to.Of course, if all you are interested in is being able to drop the name of a famous philosopher at cocktail parties, this may be the book for you.

Entertaining Introduction
Strathern has a real gift for "putting the cookies on the lowest shelf." Unfortunately, with a thinker of the complexity of Wittgenstein, that can often lead to shallowness. This book suffers morefrom its narrowness of scope, though. While its biographical aspects arecomplete, its description of Wittgenstein's philosophy focuses almostentirely on the Tractatus, only mentioning briefly his later developmentsof linguistic theory, which more than anything else he produced hasinfluenced postmodernism. In fact, I don't recall ever seeing the term"language game" used in the book! Nevertheless, because the bookrequires such a minimal investment of time, it is probably a good place tostart. Just don't end there. ... Read more

Book Description
Completely revised throughout, Culture and Value is a selection from Wittgenstein's notebooks -- on the nature of art, religion, culture, and the nature of philosophical activity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Minor work by our greatest psychologist
This is Wittgenstein's leastinteresting book, being onlyrandom notesdealing with art, music, religion and other areasof culture,taken from hisnotebooks over the course of hislife.But W is never dull and it's a measure ofthe awe in whichhe is held that this book was even published. I can't imagine publishing such a book by anyone else,--certainly no philosopher.
Those interested in W should go to nearly any of the other 20,000 odd pages of his works (butNOTthe Tractatus!)- but those with little acquaintance be forewarned, though W may seem a shallow tepid pool, if you jump in you may never stop swimming.You might wish to consult my other reviews such as that of Hofstadter's "I am a strange loop" for detailed comments on W and his revelations on language, thought and reality.Nearly all of W's writings are contained on a searchable CD issued by Blackwell and available for about $100 from Intelex while his vast and largely untranslated nachlass costs about $1000 on CD and another $1000 for the CD's with images of the 20,000 odd pages of the original manuscripts.However, like hundreds of other psychology books, they are also available via interlibrary loan or on p2p.
AlthoughI've never seen anyone say so, W was a history making pioneer in cognitive and evolutionary psychology--the first person (and arguably one of the few to this day!) to see the structure of our innate intentional psychology.As a philosopher (armchair psychologist), all of his research was thought experiments and introspection.It is an easily defensible view that he is the greatest natural psychologist to date and nobody has ever matched his talent for describing the mind at work.
Nearly all the meatiest items from his papers have been culled for other works, and mostly the dregs remain for this book, butI have selected a few comments that seemedto me of generalphilosophical interest.
``There is no religious denomination in which the misuse of metaphysicalexpressions has been responsible for so much sin as it has in mathematics.``
``People say againandagain that philosophy doesn't really progress, that we are still occupied with the same philosophical problems as were the Greeks.But the people who say this don't understand why is has to be so. It is because our language has remainedthe sameand keeps seducing us into asking the same questions.As longas there continues to be a verb 'to be'that looksas if itfunctionsin the same way as 'to eat' and 'to drink',as long as we stillhavethe adjectives 'identical', 'true','false','possible',as long as we continueto talk ofa river of time, of an expanse of space, etc., etc., peoplewill keepstumbling over the samepuzzlingdifficulties andfind themselves staring atsomethingwhich no explanationseemscapable of clearing up. And what's more,this satisfies a longing for the transcendent, because, insofar as people think they can see `the limits ofhuman understanding',they believe of course thatthey can see beyondthese.``

``Philosophersoften behave like little children who scribble some marks onapiece of paper at random and then ask the grown-up'whatsthat?`It happenedlike this: the grown-up had drawn picturesfor the childseveral times and said`this is a man', 'thisis a house',etc.And then thechild makes some marks too and asks `whatsthis then?'

'' A curiousanalogycould be based on the fact that even the hugesttelescopehasto have an eyepiece no bigger than the human eye.''

''The power of language has to make everything look the same, whichis mostglaringly evident in the dictionary and which makes thepersonification of timepossible: something no less remarkable than wouldhave been making divinities ofthe logical constants.``

``Philosophers say 'after death a timeless state will begin', or:'at deatha timeless state begins', and do not notice that they haveusedthewords'after', and 'it'and 'begins' in a temporalsense and thattemporality isembedded in theirgrammar.``

''Thequeer resemblance betweena philosphical investigation and(perhapsespecially in mathematics) an aesthetic one. (E.g., what isbadabout thisgarment,how should it be, etc.).

''Unshakeablefaith (E.g.,in a promise). Is it any less certain thanbeingconvinced of a mathematical truth? -But does that make the languagegames anymore alike?''

``Nothing ismore importantfor teaching us to understand theconcepts wehavethan toconstruct fictitious ones.``

``It'sonly bythinking even more crazily than philosophers do thatyoucan solve their problems.``

``Ambitionis the deathof thought.``
... Read more

Book Description
This collection of new essays deals with the relationship between Wittgenstein's life and his philosophy.The first two essays reflect on general problems inherent in philosophical biography itself. The essays that follow draw on recently published letters as well as recently published diaries from the 1930s to explore Wittgenstein's background as an engineer and its relation to the Tractatus, the impact of his schizoid personality on his approach to philosophy, his role as a diarist, letter-writer and polemicist, and finally the complex issue of Wittgenstein as a Jew. ... Read more

Book Description
The Routledge Philosophy GuideBooks painlessly introduce students to the classic works of philosophy. Each GuideBook considers a major philosopher and a key area of their philosophy by focusing on an important text - situating the philosopher and the work in an historical context, considering the text in question and assessing the philosopher's contribution to contemporary thought. Wittgenstein is the most influential twentieth century philosopher in the English-speaking world. In the Philosophical Investigations, his most important work, he introduces the famous "private language argument" which changed the whole philosophical view of language. Wittgenstein and the Philosophical Investigations introduces and assesses: * Wittgenstein's life, and its connection with his thought * the text of the Philosophical Investigations * the importance of Wittgenstein's work to contemporary philosophy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Dry and rigorous, but worth the effort
Let me say at the outset that I have not read PI, and probably never will. I have read several books about Wittgenstein (W's Vienna and W's Poker, both enjoyable), and am fairly acquainted with the earlier philosophy of the Tractatus. The latter philosophy of PI I barely understood, but wanted to. That was the motive behind my reading this work. I knew the subject would be difficult, but given the fact that the book has a small word count, I figured I could get through it easily. Fortunately, I did get through it, but it was not an easy read.

Initially, I was struck by McGinn's writing style: it seemed a little odd and peculiar. Sentences I would find myself reading over twice, three times; paragraphs initially not making sense until about the third time through. As I got further on in the bookI began to realize that it is not so much a defective writing style, but rather just very difficult-to-express ideas that she is writing about. Imagine doing microsurgery on concepts; that is the image that came to my mind repeatedly as I was struggling to understand what she was writing.

I think Professor McGinn has done an admirable job of trying to explicate probably one of the most difficult works of philosophy of the last century. The discussion is rigorous but accessible; it is not at all dumbed-down. Although this book will not give you an in-depth understanding of PI, it will give you a sufficient familiarity with the main concepts and ideas, and that surely is enough for a first exposure. As such, this book is an excellent introduction to PI for undergrads and non-specialists. I suppose some might fault McGinn for being overly dry in her discourse, but the subject matter is exceedingly dry. I don't think trying to 'juice up' a discussion of PI would be apropos.

Good but not the Best
Marie McGinn does a good job at highlighting many of the themes in the Philosophical Investigations. But at the same time her analysis strays from many of the traditional interpretations. Portions of her interpretation do not stay within the context of the book which in turn, gives a misleading impression of Wittgenstein's thought. It needs to be kept in mind that although Wittgenstein's analysis of language is directed at many of the empty claims of metaphysics caused by a confusion of our grammar and at redirecting philosophy to focus on language, it does not follow that he is suggesting to do away with traditional philosophy. I felt that McGinn's book tends to give this misleading impression. I would suggest getting secondary sources done by Wittgenstein's students such as Norman Malcom.Also consider looking at P.M.L.S. Hacker who has done a two volume line by line analysis of the Investigations.

An excellent primer on Wittgenstein
Having read numerous "begginer" introductions to Wittgenstein,the Routledge guidebook has definitely been the best! Its focus on thePhilosophical Investigations, and it includes (along with others) sectionson rule following, Wittgenstein's style, his critique of Saint Agustine'stheory of naming, and the private language argument. Strongly recommend forthose attempting to get a grasp of such a difficult to understandphilosopher. ... Read more

Book Description
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) was an extraordinarily original philospher, whose influence on twentieth-century thinking goes well beyond philosophy itself. In this book, which aims to make Wittgenstein's thought accessible to the general non-specialist reader, A. C. Grayling explains the nature and impact of Wittgenstein's views.He describes both his early and later philosophy, the differences and connections between them, and gives a fresh assessment of Wittgenstein's continuing influence on contemporary thought. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Good and bad
A marginal philosopher whose influence on philosophy is minimal and whose arguments are riddled with paradox. That seems to be Grayling's assessment of Wittgenstein.

And yet Wittgenstein is a philosopher who has had a major impact on both Anglo-American philosophy and Continental philosophy. He is Daniel Dennett's 'hero' (in the Time 100), Searle rates him as the greatest 20th century philosopher, Dreyfus rates him as one of the two greatest 20th century philosophers. There is no debating the issue. It is as objective a fact as you can ask for that Wittgenstein is a towering figure in 20th century philosophy.

On the other hand, Grayling does give a fair presentation of some of Wittgenstein's arguments. He spends rather too much time, I think, on his earlier work, but as I'm more familiar with the later work that was fine with me. Maybe that's not so good for newcomers to Wittgenstein.

One important problem is that Wittgenstein is not a system building philosopher. But Grayling tries to extract a system, claiming that any part of Wittgenstein's work supports any other. As a result, he sees Wittgenstein's edifice falling in its entirety when he pokes it at a few locations. But this really isn't the case at all. Wittgenstein's writings are packed with small but interesting observations that stand or fall on their own and serve more as challenges to the received philosophical view than as parts of an overarching new system.

So in summary I'd say this book is very mixed. It has a better than average exposition of W's philosophy (the only other one I've read is Ayer's which is so bad it's embarassing to read) but has some slightly bizarre opinions.

Excellent introduction to Wittgenstein
This is an ideal overview of Wittgenstein for those looking to get an initial grasp on his work.Grayling's style is admirably clear and accessible, which is especially valuable because the writing of Wittgenstein himself can be notoriously difficult and cryptic.The book provides a well-organized, concise summary of the Wittgenstein's two philosophic periods (earlier and later).While you might feel a little lost or confused when Grayling is explaining Wittgenstein's writings, don't worry -- at the end of tbe summaries of both periods Grayling offers critical analyses where he reveals that he is also confused by some things, and in his analyses he will probably address many of the questions you have.While this book isn't easy, and a little philosophic background would probably be helpful, given the diffculty of the subject matter you can't really expect it to be much easier.Highly recommended -- would that there was an intro of this quality for every philosopher.

Love the Wittgy, hate the Grayling.
I love the VSI series, but this volume was a bit of a disappointment. Mr. Grayling is very repetitive, and I do not agree with his critique of Wittgentein's later philosophy. Furthermore, he claims that it has had little influence on today's philosophy, which just seems completely false to me. The naturalization of epistemology is completely in accord with Wittgenstein's ideas, Kuhn's 'paradigms' are a version of Wittgenstein's 'forms of life', not to mention the current emphasis on practices. If Wittgenstein is not an influential figure in today's philosophy, Mr. Grayling, then who do you think is??

A gem!
This book is astounding!I have never before encountered a short introduction that so clearly, concisely, accurately or effectively communicates a complex and largely obscure subject.As a result, this book is a remarkable achievement in its own right, not only illuminating the mysteries of Wittgenstein's very difficult work, but doing so in a way that will serve as a timeless model of successful communication.That is not to say that this book is `easy' or that Wittgenstein's complex ideas have been made simple.I only say that the author has presented those ideas in ways that put them within the reach of intelligent readers who are prepared to work in exchange for a very gratifying intellectual return.With Grayling as a guide, Wittgenstein is accessible!Incredible!

Clearly written and critically sound
Grayling's introduction to Wittgenstein's early and later works is by far the most critical, when comparing the piece to other recent introductory attempts by other qualified writers. Generally, the author does an exceptional job, as was his stated intention, at writing this "introduction" for an uninformed audience, one with little or no knowledge of Wittgenstein or philosophy in general.

The overall tone of the writing is one of scepticism, a serious doubt as to Wittgenstein's importance in terms of his contribution to 20th century philosophy. Considering the space provided, Grayling's argument(s) are thorough and persuasive in parts, however his attempt at objectivity, to then give the reader incentive to continue investigation into the subject, can be questioned, (if objectivity was actually his aim) as the reader comes away believing Wittgenstein to be more of a poet, a creative designer of witty aphorisms than a serious philosopher, as his concluding remarks make quite clear:

"But I find that when one advances beyond the manner and reflects on the content, the irresistible feeling is this: that the journey through Wittgenstein's circuitous, metaphorical, sometimes opaque negations and suggestions is long; but the distance it takes is a short." (P. 134)

In other words, when the reader wades through Wittgenstein's unnecessary symbolism, witty metaphors and dense, unpacked arguments, the actual content is not as profound as we were first led believe. All in all, though, Grayling believes the Austrian to be one of the great "personalities" of philosophy, but as a philosopher, will be soon forgotten: however, as he states, time will tell.

Having said that, Grayling is an excellent writer having to distil a body of complex work that has been analysed and debated for over half a century.

Wittgenstein's first major work, the `Tractatus', a notorious complex thesis, was summarized and explained clearly, even including a short lesson on basic logic, making the work much easier to grasp. The later philosophy, `Philosophical Investigations' and others, which include the philosopher's notions of private language, language-games, use and rules, shed light on these concepts.

Graylings arguments on cultural and cognitive relativism were exceptionally clear and interesting, arguing against Wittgenstein's "form of life" concepts. Unfortunately these arguments needed elaboration, but the author was under severe space constraints.

An excellent introduction to Wittgenstein's philosophy and overall, critically sound.


... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wittgenstein and Fin-de-Siecle Vienna
This book is a follow-up to Janik and Toulmin's earlier study, "Wittgenstein's Vienna".Unlike the earlier book, this book consists of a series of essays which are loosely connected by some transitional passages and melded into a book.In spite of its somewhat patchwork character, this book is a good study of Vienna and the influence of its writers, psychologists, and composers on Wittgenstein.A major goal of the book is to place Wittgenstein's thought in the context of European culture and thought rather than seeimg him solely within the context of the English (and American) analytical philosophy which he influenced profoundly.

Of the twelve chapters in the book, the first six have little to do with an analysis of Wittgenstein's thought.Rather they consist of expositions of certain turn-of-the century Viennese thinkers.Chief of these, and probably the most fascinating figure in the book is Otto Weininger who wrote a book called "Sex and Character" at the age of 23 just before his suicide.Weininger is known as an influence on Wittgenstein.He is also remembered, when he is thought of at all, for his anti-feminism and anti-semitism.Janik attempts to capture something of the complexity of Weininger's thought by placing him in the Kantian tradition and as a practitioner of what Janik terms "critical modernism."

There are also good discussions in the first half of the book of Arnold Schoenberg and, surprisingly to me Jacques Offenbach.These composers are juxtaposed with Weininger for their critical, deflatonary tendency in art and thought.They are presented as challenging the tendencies of turn-of-century Vienna towards an entertainment, theatrical culture -- shades of the present.

The second half of the book deals more directly with Wittgenstein.It discusses the thought of the logical positivists, of the philosopher of science Hertz, the satirist Karl Kraus (the focus of the earlier "Wittgenstein's Vienna), Freud, and the Viennese poet Trakl.Here again, Janik does not analyze Wittgenstein's thought in detail.Instead, he takes certain broad themes suggested by Wittgenstein such as the distinction between saying and showing, "the mystical", the nature of religous experience, and the living of the everyday and shows possible sources of these themes in the thinkers he examines.The material is interesting and valuable, probably more for the light it casts on the thinkers Janik discusses than for the light it casts on Wittgenstein.

This is a good, difficult book about an important creative period in the early 20th Century and about an important and difficult 20th Century philosopher. ... Read more

Book Description
This is a concise and readable study of five intertwined themes at the heart of Wittgenstein's thought, written by one of his most eminent interpreters. David Pears offers penetrating investigations and lucid explications of some of the most influential and yet puzzling writings of
twentieth-century philosophy. He focuses on the idea of language as a picture of the world; the phenomenon of linguistic regularity; the famous "private language argument"; logical necessity; and ego and the self. ... Read more

Book Description

Clack provides a much-needed primer in Wittgenstein's thought as it relates to religious belief. This text provides a guide to the essentials of Wittgenstein's philosophy and particularly his philosophy of religion. Students are introduced to the early and later work, and the different accounts of language and meaning they offer. The book provides an overview of Wittgenstein's writing on religion, a guide round the maze of his thinking on the subject and an assessment of his influence in contemporary debates. At a time when there continues to be enormous interest in all aspects of Wittgenstein's philosophy, and when his name is frequently cited in connection with radical developments in theology, this book comes as a timely analysis of the religious thinking of one of the twentieth century's most important and enigmatic intellectual figures.

Customer Reviews (2)

Simply Amazing!
Years from now this book will be discussed in the same sentences as War and Peace, The Last Temptation of Christ, and the New Testament.

Important book on Wittgenstein and religion.
Brian Clack is a teacher at St Clare's College in Oxford inEngland. His book is important for anyone who wants to learn more about Wittgenstein and religion, and understand anti-realism in the philosophy of religion.

Brian Clack obviously has a pretty good grasp on Wittgenstein. He starts his book with giving an introdcution to Wittgenstein's philosophy in general. Then he continues with touching issues that more explicitly relate to religion and the philosophy of religion. He explains Wittenstein's ideas in Culture and Value and Remarks on Frazer's Golden Bough. Thess texts by Wittgenstein himself may be somewhat difficult to understand, but Clack introduces the material and may show you how this relates to other parts of Wittgenstein's philosophy. The book also covers such topics as Wittgensteinian views on miracles and prayer, immortality and Wittgenstein's relation to radical theologians like Don Cupitt.

I give the book four stars because Brian Clack has dared to write a clear and simple philosophical text, while still being able to communicate the important points in Wittgensteinian philosophy of religion. This is a very well-written book. The reason why I don't give it five, is that I think it should have contained a little more critical discussion. Some of the points Clack make should have been challenged a little or at least discussed more critically, for instance that religious language is not descriptive, that certain religious propositions are sbsurd or irrational if interpretated as descriptions of potential facts and Clack's general non-cognitivist attitude. It would have been interesting if Clack had mentioned Alston, Plantinga and Swinburne and some classical Christian thinkers a bit more and been willing to defend his own views.

However, this is an introduction and Clack has chosen an approach and in a sense I respect that. The most important thing about this book is that it is to-the-point, and raises a lot of questions. It is an excellent starting point for further thinking, and grosso modo Clack has written a very interesting book. ... Read more

Book Description
An imaginative and exciting exposition of themes from Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, this book helps readers find their way around the "forest of remarks" that make up this classic. Chapters on language, mind, color, number, God, value, and philosophy develop a major theme: that there are various kinds of language use--a variety philosophy needs to look at but tends to overlook. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

don't bother
I was hoping to get an overview of Wittgenstein's philosophical investigations - this is not it. According to the introduction, Wittgenstein is considered very hard to understand and the author is going to prove that his writings were actually coherent. Then he takes us on a confused trip through the works. The author gives a zillion footnotes back into W's papers and quotes from them at length. I didn't feel there was a synthesis of W's work, more of a confused roadmap. If you're a Wittgenstein junkie then you might find this book useful. I felt like I was reading a grad student's research paper. If you're a student of philosophy looking to understand what Wittgenstein is all about, then this is not the book for you.

Just exactly what was the point?
WPI Review


Of all the exegesis on Wittgenstein's work, this one suffers the greatest lack of clarity. Anyone who wishes to understand Wittgenstein should steer clear of Brenner's work. Speaking from an experienced vista (a student in Brenner's class) the material covered in Brenner's WPI and his course at ODU is unnecessarily difficult to understand. The combination of irrelevant commentary from other sources and awkward language makes this book one for the recycling pile. The review on the back by Cora Diamond would lead one to believe this work offers some kind of insight that cannot be obtained elsewhere. I would advise the reader to continue looking.

As other readers who left comments suggest, this book is a lackluster example of Wittgenstein. If you are interested in learning about Wittgenstein there are other sources with a mainstream analysis availble. This book tends to be vaguely written and isn't devoid of making presumptuous claims that cannot be substanitiated. In other words, the work is largely composed of opinion that is not in correspondence with the major scholars of Wittgenstein.

not very good
I bought this book on the strength of Cora Diamond's blurb on the back cover. I was very disappointed. Especially in his discussion of rule following, Brenner does not so much explain the relevant ideas as he paraphrases them. (An example: in his discussion of sections 206-223, Brenner imagines someone asking "suppose different people respond in diffferent ways to the same order. Who is right?" He answers, "if there is an established practice among these people then the right way will mean the customary way." The answer is a direct paraphrase of the text around section 201. But simply paraphrasing or extracting from the text gets us nowhere. If you already understand Wittgenstein, you will understand this remark. If not you won't. Either way, it won't much help.) Brenner's discussion of the private language argument is better. But there's still _much_ better expository material available.

Is the Basic Premise really his own?
A question to you all.

Isn't Wit's basic premise about language and truth just a slant on Sausseurian linguistics with lots of blather and a critique of his (Wit's) prior incarnation in the Tractatus? (the tractatus being the single most pseudo and naive work in the history of phi in my opinion and Wit's first book.)

A Voice Crying in the Wilderness
You have heard it said that all philosophical arguments are nothing more than arguments about words.This was Wittgenstein's premise.He believed that the perfect definition was nothing more than a philosophical mirage.More importantly there is the hint of an ethical premise in The Investigations.The hint lies in the most misunderstood of all philosophical remarks: the "forms of life."Interpreted in more ways than you can fill out a lottery card, Wittgenstein insinuated that how you live your life is the most important of all philosophical statements you will ever make. He also insinuated that not all meaning was tied up in language, texts and signs. Both insinuations are as heretical now as they were then.Still today we find ourselves slidding on the "icey logic oflanguage." ... Read more

Book Description