Is Wittgenstein Hard To Read?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Ludwig Wittgenstein is

a notoriously difficult philosopher to read

, let alone understand. Help is here in the form of one of the volumes in W.W. Norton’s new “How to Read” series. They are short books made up of selections from the person’s work, followed by elucidation by an expert.

What should I read before Tractatus?

Anscombe’s introduction may be all the background one needs for an initial reading of the Tractatus. Both of these works can be read (and re-read) together.

What should I read Wittgenstein Reddit?

If you are obsessed with only knowing Wittgenstein, read

the Marie McGinn Routledge introduction to the Investigations

. It’s quite good. Don’t bother with any tractatus stuff imho. I’d also recommend Scott Soames 2-part history of analytic philosophy.

Why is Wittgenstein important?

Wittgenstein made a

major contribution to conversations on language, logic and metaphysics

, but also ethics, the way that we should live in the world. He published two important books: the Tractatus Logico Philosophicus (1921) and the Philosophical Investigations (1953), for which he is best known.

Who should I read before Wittgenstein?

If you’re interested in reading him, or reading about him, I would suggest two books.

Ray Monk’s

biography Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius is one of the best biographies you’ll ever read, and will connect his work with his life like no other book.

Is Philosophical Investigations hard to read?

I am sorry, but

Philosophical Investigations is one of the most difficult texts in philosophy ever written

. This is partly due to its misleading form, which strikes one as understandable if perhaps a bit odd. To understand in what light to read any paragraph requires as much work as Tractatus does, if not more.

How long does it take to read Tractatus?

The average reader will spend

1 hours and 56 minutes

reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).

What is the fundamental question of Russell’s logical atomism?

In his theory of Logical Atomism, Russell

posited the highly controversial idea that for every positive fact exists a parallel negative fact: a fact that is untrue

. The correspondence theory maintains that every atomic proposition coordinates with exactly one atomic fact, and that all atomic facts exist.

How difficult is Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus?

The Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is

a very difficult work to read first

of all because it is too short for the philosophical questions it tackles.

What Cannot be said must be passed over in silence?

7.

Whereof one cannot speak

, thereof one must be silent. What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence.

Is Wittgenstein still relevant today?

After finishing his first work, Wittgenstein left philosophy, thinking that he “solved” all philosophical problems. He is

now considered one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century

, if not of all time.

Did Wittgenstein believe in God?

The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein

did not hold religious beliefs

. But he argued that when it came to his relation with people who do hold religious beliefs he was not in a marketplace of contradictory claims.

How long is Wittgenstein’s Tractatus?

The

32-minute

production, named Wittgenstein Tractatus, features citations from the Tractatus and other works by Wittgenstein.

Who is the father of logical positivism?


Alfred Jules Ayer

(1910-89) was a philosopher and a leading English representative of Logical Positivism. He was responsible for introducing the doctrines of the movement as developed in the 1920s and 1930s by the Vienna Circle group of philosophers and scientists into British philosophy.

What is negative fact according to Russell?

OP 287) Now a negative fact, according to Russell,

has no more constituents

.

than a positive fact of correlative form

. Specifically, a negative. fact has no constituent corresponding to the word ‘not’. (

What type of logic was rejected by Russell?

Russell’s rejection of

the doctrine of internal relations

is very important for understanding the development of his atomistic doctrines in more than one respect.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.