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 Ludwig Wittgenstein
Ordinary Language Philosopher
Britain
1889-1951
Born into a hugely wealthy Austrian family, Ludwig Wittgenstein set off at an early age to revolutionize modern
philosophy by examining its most core component: our language. His life is considered in three distinct periods,
each of which correspond to his philosophical standing at the time.
His early work, part of what is called his
Tractarian period, is summed up in his book
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus(1921). This was an attempt to reconcile the positions of Frege's apriorism
and Russell's atomism in one work. An accomplished logician, Wittgenstein sought to find the true logic behind
our misunderstood language, hence his development of Ordinary Language Philosophy. Utilizing such tools as the
piicture theory of meaning, he ended up concluding with the thought that Tractatus was just a tool to
aid in achieving an understanding of the idea that only statements of natural
sciences are meaningful. He concluded that "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent."
His next period was one of inactivity. He met with the influential Vienna Circle during the early 30s, and he was
soon convinced of a flaw in Tractatus, which influenced him to begin a plan to fix it. The mid 1930s brought
a renewed interest in the philosophy of mathmatics. By 1936 he had begun work on hi Philosophical Investigations,
which was finally printed in 1953, after he completed work on it in 1948.
PI was an attempt to 'disolve away' any inconsitancies and philosophical puzzles found in our language. He
attempted to adjust his views as set out in Tractatus, and introduced a number of new ideas, including the
private language argument. This states that the inner workings of man do not allow for a good description of our
inner experience. Words, for Wittgenstein only have meaning in the context of a shared relation, a public criteria for their
correct application.
Wittgenstein's last writings are now published in a volume called On Certainty. This contains his writings from
1948 through the time of his death in 1951.
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