Online research in philosophy

Wittgenstein was not only an inspirational figure for Schlick but also contributed to scientific philosophy as Neurath demanded. His verificationism is one instance of this, but it is also shown in his treatment of probability (where his ideas were developed further by Waismann). Wittgenstein revived Bolzano's logical interpretation of probability, anticipating Carnap and many moderns. He construed laws of nature as hypotheses that we had to assume. It is the general form of these hypotheses (what he later called a worldview) (...) and not (pace von Wright) relative frequency that provides the basis for judgements of probability. (shrink)

There has recently come to light a list of manuscripts and typescripts with instructions for their disposal, which suggests a number of hypotheses concerning the composition of Wittgenstein's only printed work, the Tractatus. In this article an attempt is made at identifying these documents with the help of biographical facts of the period 1914-1918. As a result it becomes highly improbable that many of the notebooks from which the Tractatus was composed have been lost. Rather it is suggested that the (...) various stages of the "Prototractatus" can finally be traced on the basis of the now available evidence. (shrink)

Ludwig Wittgenstein is universally recognized as one of the most original and influential philosophers of his age and as a personality of great magnetism and power. Not all who recognize his importance admire him or approve of it; his life and work are both surrounded by controversy. In this welcome reissue of his classic biographical study, complete with a brand-new Preface, Brian McGuinness traces the early years of this fascinating figure and examines the formative influences which shaped his extraordinary life.

Approaches to Wittgenstein brings together for the first time the many varied aspects of Wittgenstein's life, philosophy and aesthetic attitudes. It draws from many of his unpublished manuscripts to illuminate his work.