Simply Wittgenstein

by James C. Klagge

"This brief introduction to Wittgenstein's life and work presumes no previous knowledge on the reader's part. Yet Klagge shares with the reader little-known historical gems about Wittgenstein's personal and intellectual life. Employing his extensive knowledge of Wittgenstein's correspondence and other biographical resources, Klagge shows the reader what Wittgenstein was saying and writing to his friends at crucial points while developing his two major works: Tractatus and Philosophical Investigations. Klagge's own views affect how he presents the themes in those works, of course, but even readers who have already formulated views on Wittgenstein are bound to enjoy some of the new angles and biographical anecdotes he presents. Klagge's engaging, non-combative style and agility with an extensive array of biographical resources are to thank for this little book on Wittgenstein being so accessible and readable."
—Susan G. Sterrett, Curtis D. Gridley Distinguished Professor of the History and Philosophy of Science, Wichita State University

Born in Vienna into an extremely wealthy and highly cultured family, Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) grew up surrounded by art, music, and a disturbing amount of dysfunctional behavior. After studying mechanical engineering and developing an interest in aeronautics, he became obsessed with mathematics and logic, which led to his life’s work exploring the relationship between language, philosophy, and reality.

In Simply Wittgenstein, James Klagge presents a fascinating portrait of this brilliant and troubled man, while exploring his two extraordinary books—the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations—in which he gave concrete form to his singular and perplexing ideas. Drawing on 30 years of teaching about Wittgenstein at both the undergraduate and graduate level, Klagge provides a clear and accessible introduction to these seminal works, helping the reader understand the revolutionary nature of Wittgenstein’s insights and the reason they continue to resonate in our own time.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

116 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 17, 2016

Reviews

[James Klagge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course I am the author of this book, so you shouldn't take my word for the rating. But just to offer some info:
-This is written at a genuinely beginning level. You do not need to be a philosopher to read it, though you should be interested in philosophy. The book primarily focusses on Wittgenstein's two great books: Tractatus and Philosophical Investigations. You don't have to have read them already, but I do hope you will read them in conjunction with reading this, or go on to read them after reading this. I hope I have put you in a position to get the important things out of those books. And my book is especially suitable for those who have TRIED to read either of these books in the past and given up in disgust!
-I have taught Wittgenstein many many times in the last 30 years and this book is based on how I teach the material to my own students. It includes a lot of applications of Wittgenstein's ideas to interesting issues, including issues that he never considers, so it is not a narrow book.
-I just read straight through the book looking for any typos or other problems, and it took me about 3 hours. I hope it goes into enough detail to be genuinely substantive, without getting away from the idea that it is truly an introduction.
-I have my own "take" on Wittgenstein, which I have presented in "Wittgenstein in Exile," but I only mention bits of that here and there in this book.
Hope you enjoy it!

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. It was a quick and easy read about Wittgenstein, a philosopher that I personally not heard of before. Wittgenstein was himself a very interesting man, focusing his philosophy on the use of language. The author is very good as he expands on what parts of Wittgenstein's theory is still relevant today and clarified the more confusing aspects of his theory.

[Kore Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good explanation of Wittgenstein, a great thing to read if the Tractatus felt like too much to start with. I also appreciated the personal history given, and wish I could find his biography in the form of an audiobook.

[Tylor Lovins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply Wittgenstein succeeds where other introductions fail: it, at once, pays attention to the contradictions, habits, and influences in Wittgenstein’s life, and, secondly, constructs his philosophical work as a coherent project, without losing the complexities of either.

I’ve read many introductions to Wittgenstein since I studied his work exclusively for two years as an undergraduate. Most fall flat, offering stale, dull interpretations of stock, decontextualized phrases that, for many, essentially embody Wittgenstein’s contributions to philosophy: “language games,” “picture theory of language,” “the private language argument,” etc. The list goes on, but it gets less interesting the more literature written about it.

But these doctrinaire expositors do tremendous violence to the kind of activity Wittgenstein conducted in his works and the kind of thing he believed philosophy to be. James Klagge not only avoids this mistake, but, uniquely, shows the reader how to participate in Wittgenstein's philosophical activity. Already, Simply Wittgenstein stands worlds apart from many texts on Wittgenstein. The philosopher was not somebody who had ready-made formulas and beliefs intended to be disseminated among the masses to be stored in rote memory. Wittgenstein, rather, believed in philosophy as therapy, as a corrective to our reductive and simplifying calculated drive for knowledge, and as an activity that would help us see clearer by bringing clarity to thought.

Klagge guides newcomers through the problems Wittgenstein was obsessed with and the ideas that bewitch our intelligences by means of language, where conclusive answers are impossible to come by, yet the very form of the questions we ask compel us to believe these answers must be found. And, with the wisdom and experience that come along with engaging Wittgenstein for decades, he delivers enlightening observations that open up considerably difficult passages in palpable ways.

Anyone who reads this will benefit from Klagge’s combination of depth and brevity. He uses contemporary, non-philosophical problems to illustrate the import of Wittgenstein’s concepts, especially obtuse ideas from the Tractatus. This is the best introduction I have read that pays close attention to that particular work. It’s also useful how Klagge understands the Tractatus in relation to the Investigations. It’s also by far the best exposition on Wittgenstein’s ideas on the differences between thinking and looking that I have read, introductory or otherwise. And this, in itself, holds tremendous value.

Above all, this is an introductory book that should be read by anyone interested in this important philosopher.

[Jaek Wraf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super helpful intro to Wittgenstein. I tried to read the Tractatus for a long time, and made no headway. I think I might be able to try again now!

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this overview of Ludwig Wittgenstein's live and works, focusing on Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations. The author does a commendable job at clarifying the key points of this unusual philosopher's "antiphilosophy". I have always been drawn to Wittgenstein's focus on language and the "game" over ontological minutiae. This book clarifies and expounds on what is still important and relevant about Wittgenstein's thought and the parts of his interesting life that helped shape his outlook.

[I received a free copy of the book to review.]

[Nigel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually, I understand audiobooks well. This book went by me and if I had attention for like 10 seconds and try to put it in a whole conversation but would only pay attention 5 minutes later. As such. I was super tired of it and miss most of the key parts to put the book together after droning out for longer than normal when in books. A book I have to go through again. Good thing I bought it. Sad I spent my workday droning through the day.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be a fast, easy read. It was an interesting and thought-provoking introduction to Wittgenstein. I would recommend it to anyone with a general interest in philosophy (no background knowledge necessary).

[Adam Kinunen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best introduction to Wittgenstein and his thoughts that I have come across.

[Byanjana Thapa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say? It was simply Wittgenstein 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

[Maura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ventured into this book not having any history with the topic of academic philosophy or the big names in that arena, but personally knowing the author as a friend of my brother-in-law I was curious to understand the topic and the contributions of the individual Wittgenstein. I wanted to get a glimpse into why Jim Klagge has become the expert that his is on the life and thoughts of Wittgenstein. I sincerely enjoyed the read! I took it slow. I digested a chapter here and a chapter there, not rushing this "foreign land" of thought into my brain. LOL. Wittgenstein was somewhat of a tortured mind, in my opinion, but devoted much of his life to trying to understand, and contribute to other people's understandings, of the thoughts, words and deeds of the philosophies of life. A pretty heady goal for a life! Jim Klagge has done a great job of making the life and thoughts of Wittgenstein more accessible to the uninitiated.

[Deedra · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is nothing simple about this man.He has an interesting background BUT I couldn't make heads or tales from his philosophy.I take it that is why we need it simplified.I liked the narrator,Joff Manning s, voice and narration.I was provided this book by the author, narrator or publisher.

[Domenic Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Introduction

Having read many books on this philosopher, I can say without reservation that this is the best first introduction I’ve read. Every paragraph is both clear and enlightening. Thank you.

[Ayush Sinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tractatus made no sense to me. However, this book made me appreciate more context into what he was saying and contextualizing it with the life he lived and what he cared about so I can potentially Wittgenstein again someday.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biographical material was good, the philosophical was too vague.

[Mick Maurer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second Klagge work, recently read his ‘Wittgenstein’s Artillery’. About halfway through his ‘Wittgenstein in Exile’. Simply is a good work by Klagge to start with.

[Hendrik Strauss · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I rated this book 4 stars wishing it had been longer. Now I see the mistake in that thought. It is great because of its brevity!
Klagge does not intend this book to be an in depth analysis of wittgensteins philosophy, although he does not shy away from explicating some of Wittgensteins ideas on which he clearly is an expert. All in all this is the best ressource on Wittgenstein I have found to date. It serves well as an introduction to the life and thought of Wittgenstein.
I wish there were more audiobooks of Klagges work; This book did great in that format!