
Wittgenstein: The Young Man One Hopes For - brandonlc
https://www.lrb.co.uk/v41/n22/jonathan-ree/the-young-man-one-hopes-for
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otakucode
>His methods were in keeping with his approach to philosophy: he did not lay
claim to any special authority and instead of expounding facts and theories he
asked his pupils questions and left them to work out the answers for
themselves. When Hermine happened to see him at work she marvelled at his
capacity to hold their attention.

It sounds that he, quite before anyone else, had discovered the secret of
teaching. Frederick Wiseman, a famous documentarian, produced a couple
documentary films titled High School and High School 2. The first documented a
typical suburban high school in the US. The second documented an experimental
high school in an urban, low-income, predominantly Latino neighborhood. The
second school was notable in that it went on to produce the largest proportion
of students to not only attend college but to finish and acquire 4-year
degrees in the nation. The 'experiment' they were trying was quite simple -
every single class, regardless subject, was centered totally around critical
thinking. No teacher taught by fiat. They served instead to aid and guide
students as they explored the concepts being taught through relentless
questioning, all including the teachers bound to the rational method.

It's unfortunate that this method of teaching demands a tremendous amount of
integrity and knowledge on the part of teachers. I don't know that it would be
particularly difficult for someone invested in the endeavor, but for a teacher
used to ruling like a mini dictator and able to punish students for
questioning their edicts it must be intolerable.

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dvanduzer
Wittgenstein's Tractatus is one of the most accessible pieces of philosophy
ever written. I recommend it.

For an even more accessible view into Russell and Wittgenstein, and well, life
the universe and everything: logicomix.com

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freyr
This must be satire. It's one of the most cryptic, least comprehensible pieces
of philosophy ever written. The most brilliant philosophers of his time didn't
properly understand it, according to Wittgenstein himself.

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sswaner
Not satire. I have a copy on my desk at work and used it within the last month
to explain truth tables (section 4.31) to a developer.

Try looking at it again through the lens of designing a domain specific
language. It forms a robust framework for rigid and controlled communications
or interactions.

The reason it was supplanted by Philosophical Investigations is that it was
overly strict in defining the logical foundations of language and meaning.

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mulle_nat
As this is HN: Wittgenstein was the guy who invented truth tables.

He is my personal favorite philosopher along with Quine. Wittgenstein is IMO
underappreciated. First he kind of described what is possible with philosophy
with regard to the physical world in the Tractatus. And then he explored the
"virtual world" in his writings about games. To me his writing style is a bit
of a hindrance to get to his concepts. But I think I know, what he is getting
at (prove me wrong).

More "mystic" philosophers were obviously pissed and have been bad-mouthing
him ever since.

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keiferski
Mystic is probably a misleading word to use, because Wittgenstein is
considered to be something of a mystic himself, especially when it came to
things like aesthetics and ethics. The philosophical/religious definition of
mysticism is a bit different than the everyday one.

[https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/was-
wittgen...](https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/was-wittgenstein-
a-mystic/)

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism)

~~~
mulle_nat
I put it in quotes, because I couldn't come up with a better word. What would
it be ?

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HillRat
If you’re the later Wittgenstein, you might just call them “philosophers.”
(Rorty certainly might argue for that!)

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codeulike
During WW2 he gave up his post a Cambridge and went to work as a porter at a
hospital.

"Wittgenstein, however, detested Cambridge academic life, and urged his pupils
not to become academic philosophers, but to do something decent with their
lives. When the war began he was eager to be involved in war work and to be,
as he put it, 'where the bombs are falling'. In September 1941, through
Professor John Ryle of Guy's Hospital (brother of Wittgenstein's friend the
philosopher Gilbert Ryle) he began work as a porter at Guy's."

