Ludwig Wittgenstein

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Reaktion Books, May 30, 2007 - Biography & Autobiography - 223 pages

Ludwig Wittgenstein is generally considered as the greatest philosopher since Immanuel Kant, and his personal life, work, and his historical moment intertwined in a fascinating, complex web. Noted scholar Edward Kanterian explores these intersections in Ludwig Wittgenstein, the newest title in the acclaimed Critical Lives series.

Wittgenstein’s works—from Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus to the posthumously published Philosophical Investigations—are notoriously dense, and Kanterian carefully distills them here, proposing thought-provoking new interpretations. Yet the philosopher’s passions were not solely confined to theoretical musings, and the book explores Wittgenstein’s immersion in art and music and his social position as a member of the sophisticated Viennese upper class at the turn of the century. His personal and professional relationships also offer insights into his thoughts, as he was friends with the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century, including John Maynard Keynes, George Edward Moore, Bertrand Russell, and Gilbert Royle. The philosopher was also deeply tormented by ethical and religious questions, and his internal turmoil, Kanterian argues, gives us a deeper understanding of the important conflicts and tensions of his age. Ultimately, the author contends, Wittgenstein’s life reveals insights into the ethical quandaries of our own time.

A readable and concise account, Ludwig Wittgenstein is an informative, accessible introduction to the one of the greatest thinkers of our age.

 

Contents

Introduction
7
Cambridge Norway and Philosophy 191114
30
In the Trenches 191418
61
The Tractatus
73
The Wilderness Years 191829
87
Return to Cambridge and Philosophy 192939
112
Professorship and Wartime 193947
147
Philosophical Investigations
169
The Last Years 194751
187
The Aftermath
198
References
206
Bibliography
219
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About the author (2007)

Edward Kanterian is a senior subject tutor and lecturer in philosophy at St. Catherine’s College, University of Oxford and coeditor of the forthcoming Wittgenstein and His Interpreters: Essays in Memory of Gordon Baker.

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