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How to Read Wittgenstein

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There is universal consensus that Ludwig Wittgenstein is one of the greatest and most original philosophers in the last century. However, agreement as to a correct interpretation of the philosopher's work, particularly Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations, really depends on who you read; in fact there seems to be universal disagreement as to the "correct" reading of his work. That's why Ray Monk, the author of this text and the best selling biography of Wittgenstein, "A Duty of Genius", offers an apology in the Introduction, he writes,

"It is extremely presumptuous to publish a book called How to Read Wittgenstein. I apologize in advance for doing so and want to make clear that what I offer here is only _one possible_ way of Reading Wittgenstein." (P.1)

As Wittgenstein's biographer and a professor of philosophy, Monk is more than qualified to write this book, and the interpretations he proposes are clear and illuminating.

The text begins with a short biographical sketch of Wittgenstein, then tackles the most widely interpreted and difficult philosophical texts of the twentieth century, the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Monk must be an excellent teacher because he throws light on the work, indeed clearing up a few of my own misunderstandings of the Tractatus. He explains Wittgenstein's early work and his transition period, around 1029-30, where his views on philosophy changed considerably, known as Wittgenstein's later period.

Close to the end of Wittgenstein's life, his philosophy began to branch out in new directions. In the work, Last Writings on the Philosophy of Psychology, he discusses the notion of Imponderable Evidence. This is particularly fascinating, as he proposes evidence that can be seen as evidence for a particular judgement but cannot be described. As Monk explains, this work was an attempt to distance him from those who look to science to provide psychological insight, and "...those in the humanities who have become convinced that understanding another person, having access to their inner life, is possible." (P.104)

I believe Ray Monk has touched the core of Wittgenstein's philosophy, explaining many of the philosopher's difficult concepts in a very clear and highly accessible manner. This would be an advisable text for any undergraduate embarking on a Bachelors degree in philosophy.

Ray Monk is the author of the exceptional biography of Wittgenstein, DUTY OF GENIUS. So, who better to write a book about how to read W? And I admit the minute I saw Monk's name on the book I picked it up. But I am a little disappointed. The idea of this series of books is to select excerpts from the works of an author and then look at each selection in detail as a guide to reading the author's works. I fear that it doesn't work here, though. I suspect that someone who was not already familiar with W would find this less than helpful. Monk's selections from W are interesting, and not the obvious ones you might expect. But I did not come away with any new epiphanies concerning W, which is what I hoped for. (Other than the fact that I should look at his Last Writings On Psychology.)
You might be better off just reading something W wrote instead; I would recommend ON CERTAINTY.

The books in this series are aimed at being a explication of the work of their subjects but the format is a little unusual. Each chapter begins with a quotation from important writings of the subject, followed by an gloss of that section. This is the point of departure for general discussions of the subject. This method works well in this book because Wittgenstein wrote little and his published work consists often of rather delphic conclusions. Ray Monk is the author of the best biography of Wittgenstein and presents a very clear and apparently objective interpretation of Wittgenstein's philosophic work. For what it is attempting to do, provide a good introduction to Wittgenstein's difficult thought, this book is excellent. I recommend reading this book in conjunction with Monk's very good biography of Wittgenstein.

I developed a fascination with Wittgenstein and his work as an Undergrad reading various philosophers who to me, inevitably, seemed to get him wrong. Ray Monk was the first credentialed Wittgenstein expert I came across who seemed to read him correctly. He is that rare author who is able to see both the subject and its history as inextricably linked, and he has the technical expertise to follow Wittgenstein's more logico-mathematical peregrinations as well. So naturally, when this was published, I snatched it up eager to see what Monk had to say about the reading of Uncle Ludwig. I am happy to say I was not disappointed. Monk presents the proper framework for understanding Wittgenstein with customary alacrity and his selections are interesting and clever as an introduction. I now regularly recommend this book to anyone who asks me about Wittgenstein as the best introduction available. This book is an excellent choice for people curious enough to want a rigorous engagement with Wittgenstein's thought that will provide a launchpad for further investigations in the future, and for philosophy Profs teaching Wittgenstein, I would suggest adding this to the recommended supplemental reading for the course along with the usual suspects of Anscombe, McGuinness, and Hacker.

The insights this book gives on Wittgenstein's text is fascinating. As a lay person who reads a lot of philosophy, I've been in interested in W. for years. But getting grounded in W's ideas was difficult, as the text and explanations on the text were confusing.
But Ray Monk's book changes all that. In it, he clearly leads the reader through the main points of the Tractatus. Monk includes letters and discussions W had with Russell, Moore, Frege to give clarity to the ideas.
I'm reading Monk's book through for the 3rd time, and i learn more each time.

I find it highly ironic (infuriating, actually) that W wrote a book with one theme discussing the need for clarity in writing, and he writes a book that's confusing. I won't discuss some interpreters opinion that W created the confusion in his book as 'proof' of his ideas presented in the book.

I read "Introducing Wittgenstein" by John Heaton 4 years ago, and learned nothing. I threw it away.
Monk's text is clear, with great explanation and references.

I am interested in philosophy but not a graduate student or academic, so my time and background are limited. This book was very useful in helping me understand a writer who is considered Important but who I have not been able to get any sort of handle on. I remember taking an undergraduate course and having the part on Wittgenstein go right over my head. This book allowed me to go back and read the texts and actually understand them ... a bit; he's still a difficult read.

I purchased both "How to Read Wittgenstein" and Wittgensteins Tractatus Logico Filosoficus.
Monk has a great way of simplifying Wittgensteins thought.
This is a "must have" book before reading the Tractatus, especially for those who lack philosophical backgroung.

These are great selections and each is given a brief historical explanation with the philosophical implications. I wonder if this would seem like such a clear treatment of Wittgenstein if I had not already read Ray Monk "Duty of Genius" first? I would love to hear from someone in that regard. I am considering this as a possible text for class, perhaps to replace the Wittgenstein Reader I am now using.

A reviewer of my book, `Concepts: A ProtoTheist Quest for Science-Minded Skeptics,' was critical of my not having cited authors "... such as Hegel, Wittgenstein and Rorty ..." and for not making "... aspect[s] central to postmodern narrative construction ... part of [my] approach." In order to understand what he's taking about, I've since read several books about Wittgenstein and postmodernism. Admittedly, based on my previous readings of scientists who dismiss postmodernism as unscientific, I had not open-mindedly explored purported postmodern authors.

Assuming the texts Monk selected are representative, I can see why Wittgenstein is so difficult to understand -- this English translation of the original German comes across as exceedingly terse and impenetrable. One of my primary interests was in understanding what is meant by `language games' so I was especially attentive to Chapter 8. Again assuming Monk's is an accurate explanation of what Wittgenstein meant by `language games', it seems trivial. It seems like something only a philosopher would appreciate (and reportedly, not all philosophers do). I read the book over a few times and gave it time to gestate but so far I'm not impressed with Wittgenstein's profundity. So I'm sorry to say that I didn't get from the book what I'd hoped for; whether that's Monk's fault, Wittgenstein's or mine, I can't say (unlike the February 23rd reviewer, I've not read Monk's `Duty of Genius').

Monk's final Chapter 11 is on Wittgenstein's later work on `imponderable evidence' and the importance of non-scientific forms of understanding characteristic of the arts. Yet in the half-century since Wittgenstein's death, science has made, and continues to make, inroads into understanding our brain/mind thus illuminating some of the `imponderables' and the powers of our unconscious mind (see my chapters 9 & 10).