Wittgenstein's Tractatus: An Introduction

Description

Ludwig Wittgenstein's 'Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus' is one of the most important books of the twentieth century. It influenced philosophers and artists alike and it continues to fascinate readers today. It offers rigorous arguments but clothes them in enigmatic pronouncements. Wittgenstein himself said that his book is 'strictly philosophical and simultaneously literary, and yet there is no blathering in it'. This introduction considers both the philosophical and the literary aspects of the 'Tractatus' and shows how they are related. It also shows how the work fits into Wittgenstein's philosophical development and the tradition of analytic philosophy, arguing strongly for the vigour and significance of that tradition.

Alfred Nordmann is Professor of Philosophy at Technische Universitat Darmstadt. He has translated and edited works by Wittgenstein and is president of the Lichtenberg Society.

'This is an extraordinarily interesting, and in fact gripping, book on a famously enigmatic text. Nordmann's mastery of the philosophical backgrounds, extending back through both Anglophone and European philosophy, along with his deep knowledge of the Austrian culture behind the early Wittgenstein, puts him in a position to shed rare light on Wittgenstein's seemingly gnomic utterances. Put this all together and you have a striking elucidation of Wittgenstein on the limits of sense that richly rewards close reading.' Garry Hagberg, James H. Ottaway Professor of Philosophy and Aesthetics & Editor of 'Philosophy and Literature', Bard College, New York 'Rare and useful discussion is given of such important influences as the aphorist Georg Lichtenberg and the philosophically minded physicist Henrich Hertz, and in this context there is also a very welcome examination of Wittgenstein's highly unusual literary style.' Times Higher Educational Supplement '... Nordmann's interpretation is a thoroughly provocative one ...' Philosophical Investigations