Wittgenstein in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series) [Paperback]

Paul Strathern (Author)

Book Description

Series: Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series | Publication Date: September 1, 1996

“Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character....I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one’s friends to Western civilization.”—Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe. “Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them....I find them hard to stop reading.”—Richard Bernstein, New York Times. “Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise.”—Jim Holt, Wall Street Journal. These brief and enlightening explorations of our greatest thinkers bring their ideas to life in entertaining and accessible fashion. Philosophical thought is deciphered and made comprehensive and interesting to almost everyone. Far from being a novelty, each book is a highly refined appraisal of the philosopher and his work, authoritative and clearly presented.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Strathern, a graduate of Dublin's Trinity College, has lectured in philosophy and mathematics and written history, travel literature, and fiction. His attempt to provide the reader with accessible guidance to the ideas of a half dozen great names in the canon of Western philosophy fails on all counts except readability. The time given in the title for each presentation is about three times that even the least-informed reader might require, for these books are nothing but outlines. Half of each volume highlights the more peculiar details of the individual philosopher's personal life, with passing remarks about one or two substantive ideas from his work. The remaining pages include surprisingly brief quotations from the works (an epigraphic style suitable to presenting a sample of Nietzsche's writing but hardly appropriate to Kant's), chronologies (including one five-page "Philosophical Dates" that is repeated in each tiny volume), and a suggestion of four or five books for further reading. The intended audience for this series is unclear as there is too little substance to provide either the sort of introduction offered by such competing works as the Writers and Readers's illustrated series "For Beginners" (e.g., Robert Cavalier's Plato for Beginners, 1990) or critical understanding of difficult concepts as Frederick Copleston and William Jones have achieved in their histories of Western thought (e.g., Copleston's A History of Philosophy, 1985). Strathern's publisher promises more than a dozen future volumes in this series but, given the severe limitations of the first six under review here, it is not possible to recommend that we look forward to them.
Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them...I find them hard to stop reading. (Bernstein, Richard New York Times )

Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise. (Jim Holt Wall Street Journal )

Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character...I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization. (Katherine A. Powers Boston Globe )

A godsend in this era of the short attention span. (Daryl Royster Alexander New York Times )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 89 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566631319
• ISBN-13: 978-1566631310
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,235,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Logic & Language

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars appalling, February 5, 2001

By 

Zeke Camden - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wittgenstein in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series) (Hardcover)

I must have misunderstood the title -- I thought it meant that you could read the book in 90 minutes, not that it had been written in 90 minutes. The biographical sketch is fine, and a bit entertaining, though Strathern too often goes in for easy sarcasm and makes too many jokes at the expense of his subject. But his pretension to have dealt in any way whatsoever with Wittgenstein's thought is simply outrageous. There are in total about 7 pages devoted to Wittgenstein's work, which do not even provide the barest bones of the beginnings of the glimmerings of an understanding of this profound and difficult thinker. In this age, of course, the idea that one can attain a deep comprehension of a difficult topic with almost no effort is almost irresistible; but I fear greatly that this glib and shallow work will make people who might well have enjoyed reading Wittgenstein feel that they no longer need to. Of course, if all you are interested in is being able to drop the name of a famous philosopher at cocktail parties, this may be the book for you.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strathern hits his mark, August 31, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wittgenstein in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series) (Hardcover)

Strathern is a master at this kind of work, which mixes biography, critical analysis, historical context and humor all in a concise, informative & entertaining package. He lists a time line for the philosopher, his place in world/philosophic history & a selection of works for furthur reading. This series of books by Strathern is a wonderful course in Philosophy 101 without ever having to go to college, all presented in plain, easy to understand English without being bogged down with philosophy's often confusing vernacular. If you are expecting an in-depth review or complete analysis of the philosopher's life & work, read another book. This is meant to be a quick, concise overview & that's just what it provides.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Ninety minutes you'll never get back, July 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Wittgenstein in 90 Minutes (Philosophers in 90 Minutes Series) (Paperback)

Glib and condescending. The writer seems unwilling or perhaps just unable to come to terms with Wittgenstein's thought, so the whole book is nothing more than a series of snipes and jabs at Wittgenstein and his philosophy. When the author cannot come to terms with Wittgenstein's post-Tractatus thought, he simply dismisses it as bad philosophy. This is second-rate journalism, and gives innocent readers nothing intellectual to feed upon. I am disgusted that someone with such an obvious axe to grind regarding this particular philosopher, should be given the job of providing an overview of Wittgenstein's thought and genius. Well, I guess it takes one to know one. As Albert Einstein once said: "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."
Get Monk's bio for a real depiction of the philosopher, one that actually comes to grip with his thought.
Don't waste your time on this book. Unless you need something to line the bottom of your birdcage.