Wittgenstein

speed

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Nov 19, 2001
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Any fans? I personally find him most interesting. His thought is cryptic, but every once in awhile he makes a aphorism and everything makes sense. I just finished his Philosophical Investigations making the mistake on not reading the Tractatus--which I have had to refer to on the net.

Really, I hope someone is familiar with his work. I wouldnt mind talking about it, as it is not the easiest thing in the world to grasp entirely.
 
Really glad this came up, as Ive recommened him a few times now in the suggested reading threads.

Ive read the Tractatus twice, and have an ambivalent relationship to it, but find it of enormous value, overall.

I was assigned to read it in a Logic class, and having a background in the canon made all the difference. Understanding the history and developments of Logic/metaphysics in general, and more specifically the concepts Wittgenstein is taking on is essential for a solid graps of the work, because it is very dense.

I havent read 'Investigations' yet, but plan to. Also, that work was unfinished at the time of his death, so its a little risky to draw hard conclusions.

Id love to talk more specifics if anyones interested (especially about tautologies)...
 
If you wish to talk specifics, fine, what shall we talk about? I especially like his findings that philosophy is not a theory or doctrine, but rather an activity--and a activity of nonsensical nonsense. I believe one of his most important statements is this: this and this there is in the world, that there is not, is doomed to be a failure and has gone outside the limits of the world and itself. Basically all of philosophy he is saying.

It is so wonderfully interesting to read his logical deductions on language, all leading the point that philosophy is nonsense. Really, he carries on the tradition of Nietszche and the Pre-Socratics, and adds logic to refute and destroy the language based constructions of philosophy of every dogmatic philsopher. After reading his rather byzantine paragraphs that all refer back to prior thought from another paragraph whose reference he never gives, one eventually understands at least the core of his thought.

Really, if one thinks about it, what philosophy besides existential and psychological ( but not the behavioural aspect of psychology as Wittegenstein states) musings about our situation is even possible these days after Wittgenstein? He had rendered the whole idea of dogmatic and systematic philosophy useless.
 
Well this is turning into a monologue, but anyway I do like talking to myself.

Two conclusions of Wittgenstein's that are quite interesting are 1) his idea that thought is in his words, picturing something. I have been thinking about this, and I do agree everytime I think, I have a picture in mind. Of course how does one explain the totally blind? Do they think in pictures? 2) His idea that words, language, philosophy, cannot have meanings because there are mulitple meanings for every word, and each person has a different meaning in mind. Thus he concludes one an only understand the uses of words. One can see if there can be no meaning to anyword, then almost every philosopher is speaking nonsense.
 
speed said:
Well this is turning into a monologue, but anyway I do like talking to myself.

Ive been wanting to type out a nice reply but have been very busy... Ill get something up this weekend. For now, you must talk amongst yourself :)