Ludwig Wittgenstein

By A.C. Grayling "Anyone wanting to come to grips with the later Wittgenstein's views on philosophy, his beliefs about the nature of thought and language, and his many unignorable (if sometimes muddled and often muddling) ideas in the philosophy of the mind could do no better than start here."—Guardian"[Grayling] is to be congratulated on the success of his enterprise in a book which is a model of expository elgance...an admirably clear and concise introduction"—Philosophical Books Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) was an extraordinarily original thinker, whose influence on twentieth-century thinking far outside the bounds of philosophy alone. In this engaging Introduction, A.C. Grayling makes Wittgenstein's thought accessible to the general reader by explaining 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. Paperback144 pagesOxford University Press, 20017 x 4.4 x 0.4 inchesISBN 9780192854117Philosophy

Wittgenstein: A Very Short Introduction

By Anthony Gottlieb The first biography in more than three decades of the Austrian-born thinker Ludwig Wittgenstein, one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century “An engrossing biography [that] focuses on what is most essential and interesting in the philosopher’s work and life. . . . It is rare to find a book that you can open at random and almost always find something that piques your interest.”—Julian Baggini, Wall Street Journal “Very clear and lively and interesting.”—Nigel Warburton, Five Books, “Best Philosophy Books of 2025” According to the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951), philosophy is a “battle against the bewitchment of our intelligence by means of language.” This audacious idea changed the way many of its practitioners saw their subject. In the first biography of Wittgenstein in more than three decades, Anthony Gottlieb evaluates this revolutionary idea, explaining the evolution of Wittgenstein’s thought and his place in the history of philosophy. Wittgenstein was born into an immensely rich Viennese family but yearned to live a simple life, and he gave away his inheritance. After studying with Bertrand Russell in Cambridge, he wrote his famous Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus while serving in World War I. He then took several positions as a primary-school teacher in rural Austria before returning as a fellow to Cambridge, where a cultlike following developed around him. Wittgenstein worked not only as a philosopher and schoolteacher, but also as an aeronautical engineer in Manchester and as an architect in Vienna. Gottlieb’s meticulously researched book traces the itinerant and troubled life of Wittgenstein, the development of his influential ideas, and the Viennese intellectual milieu and family background that shaped him. Hardcover232 Pages, 6 Black and White IllustrationsYale Books, 20255.75 x 8.25 InchesISBN 9780300180473Theory and Aesthetics, Philosophy, Biography

Ludwig Wittgenstein: Philosophy in the Age of Airplanes

By Edward Kanterian 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. Paperback222 pages5 x 0.6 x 7.9 inchesReaktion Books, 2007ISBN 9781861893208Philosophy, Biography

Ludwig Wittgenstein (Critical Lives)

By David Edmonds and John EidinowOn October 25, 1946, in a crowded room in Cambridge, England, the great twentieth-century philosophers Ludwig Wittgenstein and Karl Popper came face to face for the first and only time. The meeting—which lasted ten minutes—did not go well. Their loud and aggressive confrontation became the stuff of instant legend, but precisely what happened during that brief confrontation remained for decades the subject of intense disagreement.An engaging mix of philosophy, history, biography, and literary detection, Wittgenstein's Poker explores, through the Popper/Wittgenstein confrontation, the history of philosophy in the twentieth century. It evokes the tumult of fin-de-siécle Vienna, Wittgentein's and Popper's birthplace; the tragedy of the Nazi takeover of Austria; and postwar Cambridge University, with its eccentric set of philosophy dons, including Bertrand Russell. At the center of the story stand the two giants of philosophy themselves—proud, irascible, larger than life—and spoiling for a fight. Paperack352 pagesHarper Collins Publishers, 20025.4 x 7.2 inchesISBN 9780060936648

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Ludwig Wittgenstein

Wittgenstein: A Very Short Introduction

Ludwig Wittgenstein: Philosophy in the Age of Airplanes

Ludwig Wittgenstein (Critical Lives)

Wittgenstein's Poker: The Story of a Ten-Minute Argument Between Two Great Philosophers

Shop at Neue Ludwig Wittgenstein

Wittgenstein: A Very Short Introduction

Ludwig Wittgenstein: Philosophy in the Age of Airplanes

Ludwig Wittgenstein (Critical Lives)

Wittgenstein's Poker: The Story of a Ten-Minute Argument Between Two Great Philosophers

Shop at Neue
Ludwig Wittgenstein