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Magazine Regulars arts History Culture History Music Intellectuals & ideas Ludwig Wittgenstein novelists

Wittgenstein’s forgotten lesson

Wittgenstein's philosophy is at odds with the scientism which dominates our times. Ray Monk explains why his thought is still relevant.

By Ray Monk  
July 20, 1999
July 1999

Ludwig Wittgenstein in 1930

Ludwig Wittgenstein is regarded by many, including myself, as the greatest philosopher of this century. His two great works, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1921) and Philosophical Investigations (published posthumously in 1953) have done much to shape subsequent developments in philosophy, especially in the analytic tradition. His charismatic personality has fascinated artists, playwrights, poets, novelists, musicians and even movie-makers, so that his fame has spread far beyond the confines of academic life.

And yet in a sense Wittgenstein’s thought has made very little impression on the…

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Ray Monk

Ray Monk is emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of Southampton. He is the author of several books about Wittgenstein and Russell

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