Customer Reviews

On Wittgenstein (Philosopher (Wadsworth))

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Well-researched for those who know Wittgenstein well. And by well I do not mean through popular literature on the man.
In response to the other reviews:
Perhaps you mistake who is "out of depth here." Hintikka possess a deep reverence for Wittgenstein and if you read beyond this one particular text you may find your comment to be a bit rash. While I am biased, given that Jaakko is a friend of mine, he has stated on many occasions that with only two individuals does he apply the term 'genius;' the first being Godel, and the second Wittgenstein. Having stayed with Wittgenstein while visiting Cambridge and having studied under Wittgenstein's closest professional friend, GH von Wright (the one Jaakko considers to know Wittgenstein best), Hintikka is, without question, an authority. Upon reading Wittgenstein's journals and diary you will see he was in fact dyslexic; he even diagnoses himself. Wittgenstein writes something to the effect of, 'I have always had trouble with numbers and letters.' If you read Malcolm's, "Wittgenstein: A Memoir" you will see the difficulty Wittgenstein had when reading from notes for lectures. There are also other physiological responses characteristic of people with dyslexia that Wittgenstein demonstrated. Regardless, Hintikka knows Wittgenstein, both literally and figuratively. I suggest, if you have not done so already, reading Malcolm's memoir. Oddly enough, von Wright and Malcolm, who were both good friends with Hintikka and Wittgenstein, never challenged the dyslexia hypothesis.

This is a decent, but far from perfect, entry in the Wadsworth Philosophers Series of books John V. Karavitis. I too, as the other reviewer here, appreciate the fact that we are shown how Wittgenstein's dyslexia (this book has the first mention of it that John V. Karavitis has ever heard) influenced his philosophical "investigations" (sorry, bad pun). In addition, even though the author "knows his stuff", nevertheless, the book could have been written with a bit more "simplicity", as I John V. Karavitis found myself being lost in the numerous quotes. The author speaks to the reader, here, John V. Karavitis, as though he were talking to a fellow expert, which I am not. That's not the purpose of the Wadsworth Philosophers Series. And, at a mere 58 pages of text (plus an additional 7 pages of bibliography!), the author could have done a MUCH better effort. Books in the Wadsworth Philosophers Series typically touch high-90s to 100 pages in length. Perhaps a re-write is in order, per John V. Karavitis. Three stars. Far from perfect, but worth the read. John Karavitis.

Hintikka has no sensibility whatsoever for understanding Wittgenstein's achievements in logic and the philosophy of psychology. He treats LW as a 'dyslexic' with personality issues due to his abandonment of great wealth. Rarely have I read a published work on LW which shows so little understanding of what he accomplished, especially in his post-TRACTATUS period of enormous intellectual fertility. LW's LATER work has been a source of inspiration in psychology, sociology, anthropology and linguistics to those who truly made the effort to understand what he was doing. Hintikka strikes me as utterly out of his depth here, perhaps because he is incapable of liberating himself from his irritating proclivity toward logicist regimentation. There is not a shred of insight in this meagre little book, but a whole load of self-flattery. Indeed, Hintikka regales the fine work of Peter Hacker as "less ambitious" - and that about a man who has spent his entire academic life producing several lengthy volumes of exegesis on the work of Wittgenstein, as well as several highly original Wittgensteinian analyses in book form. This was a paltry and often contemptuous little piece of work. Ignore it.

I found this book to have used jargon and brevity at the points when it critiques LW and to be mean-spirited when it mentions the works of others. The author also takes an approach to LW's worh through a questionable diagnosis that he was dyslexic. While this an interesting angle, it's not enough to hang an introduction on.

Finally, the book has numerous spelling and other editing errors.