Customer Reviews

The Wittgenstein Reader (Blackwell Readers)

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For those that wish to use Wittgenstein to engage students with philosophy this book is a great way to do that without having to purchase several more expensive books. This selection of the key writings presents the evolution of Wittgenstein from the Tractatus to his later works. It enables students to experience doing philosophy and moving from one stage to another and another in a practical way. It corresponds well to reflective thinking stages and helps demonstrate the philosophical succession that leads to our contemporary position on truth, beauty and goodness. I agree that "Taken together, the selections are designed to add up to an overview of Wittgenstein's philosophical position, making The Wittgenstein Reader an ideal single text for course use."

I myself am not a die-hard fan of epistemology. In fact, the only works dedicated to that topic which I can stand for long are written by Anthony Kenny. He does wonders with Wittegnstein. His commentary and selections truly make the philosophy come to life. Even if you aren't particularly fond of the material, it still proves to be a highly valuable and highly readable work.

The Wittgenstein Reader is successful in what it has accomplished. It gives the academic student definitions, almost points them out, so when asked a question in an exam, the student can write down the appropriate definition, even though the student and the teacher do not have the slightest notion of what that definition explores. Mr. Anthony Kenny's abridgment also categorically states that he, Mr. Anthony Kenny, has no idea of the territory into which he has attempted to tread. He is like a junkman stumbling about in the Metropolitan Museum in search of something familiar. I have nothing against Mr. Kenny. I am only writing this review in defense of the deceased who obviously cannot defend himself. A well-known author once said on the subject of abridgement: quote: "If someone would ever attempt to abridge F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, that someone would be taking a masterpiece and turning it into a book."
Not all, but the vast majority (maybe more) of contemporary students and instructors aspire to interpret the Tractatus by delving into their own reactive mind, their own thought process, for explanations: therefore, the Tractatus has become the byproduct of their own thinking as it did with David Pears and Bertrand Russell. Such academic scoundrels were unable to get out of themselves. The syndrome of self-absorption and hubris caused them to get lost within those murky waters of their own Freudian Ids.
As with Zen, the student must be principally riveted to the now, to the present, to the moment, not to past assumptions, opinions that reside in their own personalized consciousness. Wittgenstein's tools are the aphorism, because it encapsulates great amounts of information in a very small unit, and his personal orientation with the puzzle. (The intent of a puzzle is to cause a person to think.) Wittgenstein incorporated these two and created a tool that both forces the student to effort and, at the same instant, coerces the student to listen, because what all of this is about is what Ludwig Wittgenstein thinks and how he applies that thinking.
What we memorize, makes us knowledgeable, although, at the same time, substitutes the thinking of someone else for our own thinking. Like a barrel of wine---yes, the barrel holds the wine but the barrel ain't the wine.
If we travel with Ludwig Wittgenstein we must make the effort to listen, to hear, to learn how to sing his song.
The Tractatus begins with 1* and travels to 2.012. (No abridgement so far.) But starting with 2.0121 to 2.0124---the entire section, nearly a page, has been ripped out. A non-fiction rape. It is self-evident that Mr. Kenny believes that the said section is not necessary. That 2.012 and 2.013 alone are sufficient. Alas, a pimp thinks he is a person of importance, but if he lowers his trousers, no one notices, except, of course, the pimp.
Below Mr. Kenny's marriage of the two sections is consummated:
2.012
IN LOGIC NOTHING IS ACCIDENTAL: IF A THING CAN OCCUR IN AN ATOMIC FACT THE POSSIBILITY OF THAT ATOMIC FACT MUST ALREADY BE PREJUDGED IN THE THING.
2.013
EVERYTHING IS, AS IT WERE, IN A SPACE OF POSSIBLE ATOMIC FACTS. I CAN THINK OF THIS SPACE AS EMPTY, BUT NOT OF THE THING WITHOUT THE SPACE.
The deleted section had the sole purpose of teaching us (according to Ludwig Wittgenstein) how to understand the above definitions. The purpose of the deleted section (just as a puzzle does) was to force us to think, but not to think in the ordinary fashion (reactive mind), but to think as Wittgenstein thought, in the moment, to trudge alongside him.
The deletions enacted by Mr. Anthony Kenny go on throughout the book, whittling the Tractatus down to a meager 29 pages from 75 page book.
There is nothing worse
Than if something sacred
Has been desecrated.
Actually,
There is something worse---
If nobody notices
That it has been desecrated.

The seductiveness of Wittgenstein's writing stems from its complexity and its simplicity in perfect balance. In his search for pure truth, pure understanding, the author also maintains a strict discipline of purity in his writing. As we are drawn deeper and deeper into his system, the truth that he seeks becomes more and more complex while his style remains clean and perfect. We are thus prone to overlook the complications, the confusion, the impossible train of thought, because we are enamored with the beauty of it. And all the while we feel as though the author himself wishes he could do more to help us, to explain himself better, striving as he does to clean up the logic and arrive with us together at the elemental object: the word... the thought... the spark.

"The Wittgenstein Reader" is a bite-size, user-friendly introduction to one of the 20th century's most constantly baffling philosophers. So baffling, in fact, that his work tends to be split into the early and latter periods (he was the SAME guy) His speech is oracular, with pronouncements like "What does the process or state of wanting an apple consist in?" and "There indeed is the inexpressible. This SHOWS itself;it is the mystical." Wittgenstein was one of the most poetic and mystical of philosophers. His pronouncements read more like Tao Te Ching: A New English Version (Perennial Classics) They are food for contemplation.

Sir Anthony Kenny does an excellent job in grouping Wittgenstein's oracular words. He has sections titled "Intentionality", "Following a Rule", "The First Person" and "Aspect and Image." Again, very user-friendly for the novice. Wittgenstein doesn't say his words are magisterial. When he suggests that philosophizing means renouncing feeling--one doubts he meant it to be taken as life advice. He was, after all, a compassionate person;he was a nurse during WWII, tending the wounded. He knew he wasn't perfect. He saw his students as fellow seekers;he did not put himself on a pedestal. He was a genius, but he did not stand on his laurels.

"The Wittgenstein Reader" is a fascinating introduction. A good companion is Derek Jarman's Wittgenstein (Special Edition) After all, what can be shown cannot be said.

A very good introduction to Wittgenstein's works. Given the fact that Wittgenstein did not write in usual essay form and did not encourage publications of his works in his life time, the book is very good contribution to the context of Wittgenstein's readers. An abridgement of the Tractatus is given as first chapter. A good balance of thematically and chronological basis has been adopted in the sequence of other chapters. The sample chapter titles are : The Rejection of Logical Atomism , Meaning and Understanding,... The First Person, .. The Nature of Philosophy, Ethics,Life and Faith. A good index is provided. Two weaknesses are : The author provides a two-page introduction. A 10 page biography would have been proper . Also a last chapter which summaries the nature of Wittgenstein's works and its relation to other philosophical works would have been better. From the point of view of Wittgenstein's scholars, the remarks are provided without any citation numbering. It complicates refering the book. Same sample Wittgenstein's remarks: The Wolrd is the totality of facts, not of things. Not how the world is mystical, but that it is. For the clarity that we are aiming at is indeed complete clarity. And this simply means that the philosophical problems should completely disappear. So if you want to stay within the religious sphere you must struggle.

"The Wolrd is the totality of facts, not of things. Not how the world is mystical, but that it is. For the clarity that we are aiming at is indeed complete clarity. And this simply means that the philosophical problems should completely disappear. So if you want to stay within the religious sphere you must struggle."

I qoute this phrase from your review; it was totally misunderstanding of yours. Your review will mislead the future readers of this amazing piece by Anthony Kenny.

If someone want to read Anthony's book, I strongly recommend his book about Aquinas. His English is really awesome: it was concise, powerful, and beautiful! not for americans tho'