Wittgenstein: The Way Out of the Fly-Bottle

Key Contemporary Thinkers (Polity)

by Severin Schroeder

This book offers a lucid and highly readable account of Wittgenstein's philosophy, framed against the background of his extraordinary life and character. Woven together with a biographical narrative, the chapters explain the key ideas of Wittgenstein's work, from his first book, the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus , to his mature masterpiece, the Philosophical Investigations . Severin Schroeder shows that at the core of Wittgenstein's later work lies a startlingly original and subversive conception of the nature of philosophy. In accordance with this conception, Wittgenstein offers no new philosophical doctrines to replace his earlier ones, but seeks to demonstrate how all philosophical theorizing is the result of conceptual misunderstanding. He first diagnoses such misunderstanding at the core of his own earlier philosophy of language and then subjects philosophical views and problems about various mental phenomena understanding, sensations, the will to a similar therapeutic analysis. Schroeder provides a clear and careful account of the main arguments offered by Wittgenstein. He concludes by considering some critical responses to Wittgenstein's work, assessing its legacy for contemporary philosophy. Wittgenstein is ideal for students seeking a clear and concise introduction to the work of this seminal twentieth-century philosopher.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Ege · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter how I try my words will not be enough to describe the importance of this book to me. This book was the first thing I booked on Amazon when I arrived here in Germany. I strongly recommend this book to everyone who wishes to have a deep understanding of Wittgenstein´s philosophies. Schröder does a tremendous job when he explains and discusses what these philosophies amount to by comparing his works with those of other philosophers and comments of modern philosophers who study Wittgenstein.

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s326/s...

[Joe Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucid

[Dajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to Wittgenstein's thought.