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 It draws from many of his unpublished manuscripts to illuminate his work.

This essay examines the role allocated to ostensive definition in the logical empiricist philosophy of the vienna circle. it explains how this characteristic array of doctrines grew out of reflections on the "tractatus". the various theses are distinguished into general principles, logical aspects, normative aspects and psychological theses. a detailed survey of wittgenstein's later analysis of ostensive definition is undertaken. this is then brought to bear on the doctrines of logical empiricism to show that they are incoherent. the essay concludes (...) by sketching out how much of those fallacious doctrines survive explicitly in contemporary philosophy of language. (shrink)

I take as my text propostion 4.0312 of the Tractatus : The possibility of propositions is based on the principle that objects have signs as their representatives. My fundamental idea is that the ‘logical constants’ are not representatives; that there can be no representatives of the logic of facts. Practically the same words occur in Wittgenstein's Notebook for 25 December 1914, where Miss Anscombe translates them: The possibility of the proposition is, of course, founded on the principle of signs as (...) going proxy for objects. Thus in the proposition something has something else as its proxy. But there is also the common cement. My fundamental thought is that the logical constants are not proxies. That the logic of the fact cannot have anything as its proxy. (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)

Stuart Hampshire’s excellent memoir of Waismann in the Proceedings of the British Academy and Anthony Quinton’s introduction to Philosophical Papers give an affectionate portrait of an unworldly scholar alternately seeking to conform to British ways and then shunning them. The idioms and the pronunciation both slightly wrong his English itself witnessed to a profounder alienation. But it was an alienation much more seated in his character and life than that of most of the refugees that so illuminated British university life (...) in the 30’s and 40’s, of whom some indeed became remarkably assimilated. (shrink)

These are commented on in this volume, which will also include a publication of new or previously scattered material and an overview of Waismann 's life.

L’un des paradoxes de l’observation sociale et de la biographie est de voir à quel point les individus les plus originaux manifestent en temps de crise des réactions identiques à celles des moins cultivés et des plus conventionnels. En août 1914, Wittgenstein s’engagea sous les drapeaux, partageant l’enthousiasme et la dévotion qui s’étendait sur l’Autriche tout comme sur l’Allemagne..

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)

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. 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 and not relative frequency that provides the basis for judgements of probability.

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)

Susan Edwards-McKie interviews Professor Dr B. F. McGuinness on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

Les lettres reproduites ici furent échangées au début de 1935 entre Ludwig et son frère Paul, le pianiste qui avait perdu un bras à la guerre, et dédicataire des concerti pour la main gauche de Ravel et Prokofiev entre autres... La relation entre les deux frères était toute de spontanéité, dénuée de contrainte et de formalisme. Nous verrons en quoi...

(2006). First thoughts: An unpublished letter from Gilbert Ryle to H. J. Paton∗. British Journal for the History of Philosophy: Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 747-756.

This collection contains hitherto unknown letters exchanged between Wittgenstein and the most important of his Cambridge friends and includes editorial notes based on archival material not previously explored. Incorporates many previously undiscovered unique and significant letters. A powerful record and intimate insight into Wittgenstein's life and thought. Extensive editorial annotations.