Summarizing Wittgenstein

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Lakin
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Re: Summarizing Wittgenstein

Post by Lakin »

Could someone summarise Wittgenstein because this is not summarizing.
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The Voice of Time
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Re: Summarizing Wittgenstein

Post by The Voice of Time »

Lakin wrote:Could someone summarise Wittgenstein because this is not summarizing.
Wittgenstein wrote a lot of individually standing (but loosely connected) sentences and is not easy to summarize in any way.

His first work: The Tractatus, was talky in academic circles. A Finnish philosopher had this to say about it: one third of it was wrong, one third was agreeable and one third he just didn't understand.

The wiki-page contains an extensive summary of the work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tractatus_ ... losophicus

His other more well-known work is the Philosophical Investigations, which is more readable, in fact I've had a taste of it and it is quite easy to understand (relatively and in general at least). On the wiki-page it is noted that "Within the Anglo-American tradition, the book is considered by many as being one of the most important philosophical works of the 20th century, and it continues to influence contemporary philosophers, especially those studying mind and language."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophi ... stigations

On his profile wiki-page there is a list of notable ideas he had or contributed to:

Notable ideas:

Picture theory of language
Truth functions
States of affairs
Logical necessity
Meaning is use
Language-games
Private language argument
Family resemblance
Rule following
Forms of life
Wittgensteinian fideism
Anti-realism
Wittgenstein's philosophy of mathematics
Ordinary language philosophy
Ideal language analysis
Meaning scepticism
Memory scepticism
Intuitionism
Semantic externalism
Quietism

I think it's hard to make any point certain though about his works, because as the title of his second work says, it is an "investigation", and investigations are not there to tell us what is the case like a preach of truth, but to get us closer to the truth.
Impenitent
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Re: Summarizing Wittgenstein

Post by Impenitent »

early Ludwig: everything is language
late Ludwig: no it isn't

-Imp
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The Voice of Time
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Re: Summarizing Wittgenstein

Post by The Voice of Time »

Impenitent wrote:early Ludwig: everything is language
late Ludwig: no it isn't

-Imp
Well I have to admit, it's not a bad attempt x) Much truth to it.
Ansiktsburk
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Re: Summarizing Wittgenstein

Post by Ansiktsburk »

And if I understand it correctly, when Ludwig was ready with the Tractatus, he went up into the Alps to become a crap teacher, since he thought he had now more or less solved all problems in philosophy.

So, using the Tractatus, what is love?
Banno
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Re: Summarizing Wittgenstein

Post by Banno »

Sam found more fertile ground.
Ansiktsburk
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Re: Summarizing Wittgenstein

Post by Ansiktsburk »

Banno wrote:Sam found more fertile ground.
Maybe, but how would Ludwig attack it? Breaking it down to its "elementary" parts?

Thanks sam for a good summary btw if you still read here.
Sam26
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Re: Summarizing Wittgenstein

Post by Sam26 »

Hey guys if you want to read the summary go to https://philosophicalthoughtandmusings.blogspot.com - I am still working on it.
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