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Tractatus in Context
Ludwig Wittgenstein's brief Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1922) is one of the most important philosophical works of the twentieth century, yet it offers little orientation for the reader. The first-time reader is left wondering what it could be about, and the scholar is left with little guidance for interpretation.
In Tractatus in Context, James C. Klagge presents the vital background necessary for appreciating Wittgenstein's gnomic masterpiece. Tractatus in Context contains the early reactions to the Tractatus, including the initial reviews written in 1922-1924. And while we can't talk with Wittgenstein, we can do the next best thing--hear what he had to say about the Tractatus. Klagge thus presents what Wittgenstein thought about germane issues leading up to his writing the book, in discussions and correspondence with others about his ideas, and what he had to say about the Tractatus after it was written--in letters, lectures and conversations. It offers, you might say, Wittgenstein's own commentary on the book.
Key Features:
Illuminates what is at stake in the Tractatus, by providing the views of others that engaged Wittgenstein as he was writing it. Includes Wittgenstein's earlier thoughts on ideas in the book as recorded in his notebooks, letters, and conversations as well as his later, retrospective comments on those ideas. Draws on new or little-known sources, such as Wittgenstein's coded notebooks, Hermine's notes, Frege's letters, H�nsel's diary, Ramsey's notes, and Skinner's dictations. Draws connections between the background context and specific passages in the Tractatus, using a proposition-by-proposition commentary.
In Tractatus in Context, James C. Klagge presents the vital background necessary for appreciating Wittgenstein's gnomic masterpiece. Tractatus in Context contains the early reactions to the Tractatus, including the initial reviews written in 1922-1924. And while we can't talk with Wittgenstein, we can do the next best thing--hear what he had to say about the Tractatus. Klagge thus presents what Wittgenstein thought about germane issues leading up to his writing the book, in discussions and correspondence with others about his ideas, and what he had to say about the Tractatus after it was written--in letters, lectures and conversations. It offers, you might say, Wittgenstein's own commentary on the book.
Key Features:
Illuminates what is at stake in the Tractatus, by providing the views of others that engaged Wittgenstein as he was writing it. Includes Wittgenstein's earlier thoughts on ideas in the book as recorded in his notebooks, letters, and conversations as well as his later, retrospective comments on those ideas. Draws on new or little-known sources, such as Wittgenstein's coded notebooks, Hermine's notes, Frege's letters, H�nsel's diary, Ramsey's notes, and Skinner's dictations. Draws connections between the background context and specific passages in the Tractatus, using a proposition-by-proposition commentary.
- GenresPhilosophy
422 pages, Paperback
Published September 30, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 11, 2022
Author's comments:
I just finished (re)reading this to look for any typos. I didn’t find any worth mentioning! There were lots of typographical challenges along the way, so that’s good!
The first thing to say is that this book doesn’t stand alone. You need to have a copy of the Tractatus on hand, or have it well in mind. It doesn’t matter much which translation you use (I tend to use the Pears & McGuinness one). There are some good new ones coming out this year or next, to celebrate the centenary of the Tractatus. We considered including the Tractatus IN this book, but it would have created formatting nightmares, so we left it out. As it stands, this book is pretty much a line-by-line commentary on the Tractatus, so you’ll need it to know what I’m talking about.
I created a sort of first draft of this project in 1976 when I started graduate school. After having read the Tractatus in a class in 1975, I got interested in learning about who Wittgenstein was and what led him to write this enigmatic book. I have taught the Tractatus in class about a dozen times over the years, and I accumulated material that was useful for teaching. In general, my interest in Wittgenstein has revolved around how his life influenced his philosophy. That turns out to be central to understanding parts of the Tractatus—especially how his time in battle influenced the last two dozen propositions. Also, even though his book is brief, Wittgenstein had a lot to say about it over the years, in letters, conversations, and lectures—so there is a lot to learn from him. It may seem odd that my book about the Tractatus is about five times longer than the Tractatus itself—but I think that shows how rich that book is.
While there is a wealth of material relevant to appreciating the Tractatus, it is not easy to organize it, and it is not easy to access it. As for access, many relevant books are out of print (Letters to Ogden, Letters from Ludwig Wittgenstein with a Memoir, A Portrait of Wittgenstein as a Young Man: From the Diary of David Hume Pinsent 1912-1914, Ludwig Wittgenstein and the Vienna Circle: Conversations Recorded by Friedrich Waismann), some things are untranslated into English (Wartime diaries, Hänsel’s diary, Hermine’s notes), some are unpublished (Ramsey’s notes), and some are only recently published (Skinner’s notes of dictations, Moore’s complete notes). So this makes relevant portions of these things easily available. And then there is the problem of figuring out which bits of this material is relevant to which bits of the Tractatus. I have organized the material proposition by proposition. So it turns out to be something like Wittgenstein’s own commentary on his work—what he was reacting to or building on, and what he had to say about it.
I have also included a long appendix of early reactions to the Tractatus (Frege’s letters, nine early book reviews, etc.). It is striking to see the variety of reactions, some positive, some very negative, that the book provoked.
In sum, I hope all this context helps you appreciate Wittgenstein’s book. And I hope that it helps to humanize his book. I think it’s great and I loved writing it—but you’ll have to decide for yourself.
I just finished (re)reading this to look for any typos. I didn’t find any worth mentioning! There were lots of typographical challenges along the way, so that’s good!
The first thing to say is that this book doesn’t stand alone. You need to have a copy of the Tractatus on hand, or have it well in mind. It doesn’t matter much which translation you use (I tend to use the Pears & McGuinness one). There are some good new ones coming out this year or next, to celebrate the centenary of the Tractatus. We considered including the Tractatus IN this book, but it would have created formatting nightmares, so we left it out. As it stands, this book is pretty much a line-by-line commentary on the Tractatus, so you’ll need it to know what I’m talking about.
I created a sort of first draft of this project in 1976 when I started graduate school. After having read the Tractatus in a class in 1975, I got interested in learning about who Wittgenstein was and what led him to write this enigmatic book. I have taught the Tractatus in class about a dozen times over the years, and I accumulated material that was useful for teaching. In general, my interest in Wittgenstein has revolved around how his life influenced his philosophy. That turns out to be central to understanding parts of the Tractatus—especially how his time in battle influenced the last two dozen propositions. Also, even though his book is brief, Wittgenstein had a lot to say about it over the years, in letters, conversations, and lectures—so there is a lot to learn from him. It may seem odd that my book about the Tractatus is about five times longer than the Tractatus itself—but I think that shows how rich that book is.
While there is a wealth of material relevant to appreciating the Tractatus, it is not easy to organize it, and it is not easy to access it. As for access, many relevant books are out of print (Letters to Ogden, Letters from Ludwig Wittgenstein with a Memoir, A Portrait of Wittgenstein as a Young Man: From the Diary of David Hume Pinsent 1912-1914, Ludwig Wittgenstein and the Vienna Circle: Conversations Recorded by Friedrich Waismann), some things are untranslated into English (Wartime diaries, Hänsel’s diary, Hermine’s notes), some are unpublished (Ramsey’s notes), and some are only recently published (Skinner’s notes of dictations, Moore’s complete notes). So this makes relevant portions of these things easily available. And then there is the problem of figuring out which bits of this material is relevant to which bits of the Tractatus. I have organized the material proposition by proposition. So it turns out to be something like Wittgenstein’s own commentary on his work—what he was reacting to or building on, and what he had to say about it.
I have also included a long appendix of early reactions to the Tractatus (Frege’s letters, nine early book reviews, etc.). It is striking to see the variety of reactions, some positive, some very negative, that the book provoked.
In sum, I hope all this context helps you appreciate Wittgenstein’s book. And I hope that it helps to humanize his book. I think it’s great and I loved writing it—but you’ll have to decide for yourself.
June 10, 2022
This book is frankly good if you're trying to know what Wittgenstein was up to when he wrote his Tractatus.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews