This is the ONLY worthy review | Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Routledge Classics)

A must read even if you are not into philosophy of language. | Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Routledge Classics) | Ludwig Wittgenstein

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	• Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Routledge Classics) Ludwig Wittgenstein Routledge, 2001 - 128 pages average customer review:based on 43 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Not for the average reader but thorough, if not at times tedious, in acomplishing its task...

The `Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus' is the German monk and philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein's commentary on language and its logical failures. This not only applies to its uses in philosophy but in all fields. He explains in length how a logical proposition, by definition, cannot carry any weight because logic itself is only a framework, consisting of no substance. It can therefore only lead us to a simplification of what we already know; much in the same way that the mathematics, as a method, can lead to a simplification, if data and relationships are given but not create numbers where they didn't exist before. Because of their interchangeable nature, he often applies mathematics as a way of explaining his principles within language. These are laid out in step by step framework of propositions preceded by numbers and decimal places signifying their order and importance.

Although his book deals with an issue of great importance to philosophy and has received excellent reviews from many great philosophers, including an enthusiastic introduction by Bertrand Russell, I found this book to be, for the most part, pretty dull. After his general criticism of language is understood it seems that he spends most of the book going into an unnecessarily detailed proof of this being the case. As a foundational work, maybe this approach was necessary in order to explain away any grey areas and gaps through which criticism could be made. For the average reader however, who is interested in understanding new principles and gaining new philosophical insight, this book may come across as overly tedious, and overcomplicated. Wittgenstein's propositions on language could, I believe, be explained, still persuasively, but in much more understandable and readable manner, and in a great deal less space.

If you are interested in a step by step, text book style read, then maybe this book will interest you. If like me, however, you prefer to cut through the jargon and onto understanding the core principles, I would encourage you to skim-read through the first two thirds of the book picking out what makes sense and not spending too much time trying to understand what can in places seem like impossibly mind boggling equations, knowing that at the heart the principles themselves are pretty simple. From around page 60 onwards I found that the book got more interesting as Wittgenstein moves from proving the validity of his propositions to their implications. For me it was this end that made the book. Had I given up half way through, as was tempting, I would have missed the best part. It was in these last pages that the genius of Ludwig Wittgenstein really shone through.

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This is the ONLY worthy review

The Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is a riddle that only makes sense whence you understand it. He makes this point clear, saying that the Tractatus consists in two works, that which he has written and that which he obviously did not write. And that if one person read the book with understanding, the Tractatus would achieve its proper place in history.

So, after 80 years of misunderstandings, I will tell you the mystery is no more.

That which he obviously did not write was the Bible. And if you put the first 7 lines of Genesis before Wittgenstein's 7 propositions, then the meaning of his words and propositions take on something wholly new- especially the line: whereof one cannot speak, one must remain silent.

Of course, his dying words also take on a whole new meaning as well: "Tell them that I lived a wonderful life."

I leave this review somewhat cryptip, but hopefully you find it obvious enough. Read it again!

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Edit: People don't like being told what Wittgenstein means. Too bad.

Tautologies and contradictions, like, God exists and God doesn't exist, are a natural part of the logic of our language. There is no fact or case that could disprove a religious person's commitment to the notion of God, and thus, their statements about God are tautological. The negation of a tautology is a contradiction. This is what truth tables show.

Nonsense is meaningless is senseless. tautologies and contradictions, when dialog gets to them, are nonsense. They are the limits of language, and so do not contradict. And the nonsense of "Ab sur ah" is no different than that of a contradiction or tautology. There are not different kinds of nonsense.

The propositions of the Tractatus, whence properly understood, are not contradictory as so many would profess, but tautological. Prop 7 is a tautology in the classical sense, and Prop 1 describes the world as a tautology.

Good Luck...................................................................

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A must read even if you are not into philosophy of language.

I first read the Tractatus in my first year of college. It really changed the way I viewed language and philosophy as a whole. While Chomsky explains the structure of language, Wittgenstein explains its function. "Language is use", if you understand that, then you understand Wittgenstein.

Or at least this is the start to understanding Wittgenstein. He goes on to say that all philosophical questions and debates are nothing more than the misuse of language. Well, this is where you must read the book and draw you own conclusion. And do read the book. It's very short and will take you less then a day to read; it is also a thousand times easier to read and comprehend then some people make it out to be.

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A sophisticated tool set for handling ideas

Wittgenstein changed his views after he wrote the Tractatus and rejected the conclusions found in it. What is wonderful about the book is the experience of seeing how a great philosopher explores philosophical questions. If you read the book uncritically enough times that you understand what is being said then you will gain a tool set for handling ideas that few possess.

Perhaps the most important work of philosophy written in the twentieth century, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus was the only philosophical work that Ludwig Wittgenstein published during his lifetime. Written in short, carefully numbered paragraphs of extreme brilliance, it captured the imagination of a generation of philosophers.

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