[lbo-talk] RE: Wittgenstein

joanna bujes jbujes at covad.net
Tue Feb 10 10:35:07 PST 2004


AN writes: "Rumor has it that the cruel and unforgiving one was him, not the children."

Possibly true. There was a book, "Wittgenstein's Vienna" that provides a sort of cultural biography. There's nothing in that which contradicts the above. He was terminally weird. But he was also, one of the most (if not the most) perceptive and useful philosophers of the 20 century. I'm not thinking of the "Tractatus" which he repudiated, but of the "Philosophical Investigations," which is a really great book -- well worth reading by anyone pursuing any kind of linguistically-based discipline.

"Anyways, in the context of lbo-talk there are two things one must know about Ludwig Wittgenstein. First, he was the son of a very successful (and much hated) corporate raider. Second, he was a schoolmate of Adolf Hitler."

Yes, he grew up in a very rich family. Also noteworthy: he gave all his money away...and some of it to make it possible for artists to do their work: one such being Rilke. I don't know what to make for the fact that he was a schoolmate of Adolf Hitler??? Hitler had a lot of schoolmates...

Joanna



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