Approaches to Wittgenstein Collected Papers

Approaches to Wittgenstein brings together for the first time many of the finest papers on Ludwig Wittgenstein, illuminating his philosophy by placing it in its biographical, cultural and historical context. Written by Brian McGuiness, well-known for both his biography of Wittgenstein and his work on Wittgenstein's philosophy, these papers represent fifty years work on the most intriguing and fascinating of twentieth century thinkers. In the first section of the book, Brian McGuiness explains the close connection between Wittgenstein's life and work. He argues that Wittgenstein was deeply affected by his family, by his work as an architect, and by his experience of war and the powerlesness of his native Austria. The second section deals at length with Wittgenstein's famous Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus . McGuiness studies the book's origins and the 'picture' theory of meaning it presents, before going on to explore the central issues of solipsism, mysticism and the 'unsayable'. A third section considers the wider context of Wittgenstein's philosophy: his relation to the Vienna Circle, his philosophy of language and of mind, and his reactions to Freud and psychoanalysis. The final section is dedicated to Wittgenstein's higly individual methods of writing. Of the 24 essays in this book, six are published here in English for the first time. Approaches to Wittgenstein will be essential reading for Wittgenstein scholars, and will also be appreciated by many with an interest in biography, history, philosophy and cultural studies.McGuinness, Brian is the author of 'Approaches to Wittgenstein Collected Papers' with ISBN 9780415032612 and ISBN 041503261X.