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| Wittgenstein (The Great Philosophers Series) | 
 enlarge | Author: P.m.s. Hacker
Publisher: Routledge
Category: Book
List Price: $8.95
Buy New: $4.00
You Save: $4.95 (55%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 1414156
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 64
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7 x 4.3 x 0.3
ISBN: 041592376X
Dewey Decimal Number: 192
EAN: 9780415923767
ASIN: 041592376X
Publication Date: July 1999
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Product Description
Philosophy is one of the most intimidating and difficult of disciplines, as any of its students can attest. This book is an important entry in a distinctive new series from Routledge: The Great Philosophers. Breaking down obstacles to understanding the ideas of history's greatest thinkers, these brief, accessible, and affordable volumes offer essential introductions to the great philosophers of the Western tradition from Plato to Wittgenstein.
In just 64 pages, each author, a specialist on his subject, places the philosopher and his ideas into historical perspective. Each volume explains, in simple terms, the basic concepts, enriching the narrative through the effective use of biographical detail. And instead of attempting to explain the philosopher's entire intellectual history, which can be daunting, this series takes one central theme in each philosopher's work, using it to unfold the philosopher's thoughts.
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| Customer Reviews:
 The radical philosopher's method... January 3, 2005
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Wittgenstein approached philosophy with a unique perspective - one that changed the field forever. He pushed the focus away from intractable questions and onto the language and syntax of these same questions. Wittgenstein claims that by analyzing the words and grammar of philosophical questions, we can discover where our conceptions of these philosophical questions have gone awry. This represented a radical shift in the way one does philosophy. Though many still fervently question Wittgenstein's claims and methodology, his influence remains steadfast. This tiny book introduces Wittgenstein's take on philosophy, and then applies that take to views of mind. Namely, how Wittgenstein's work challenges the Cartesian and Behaviorist traditions. It is clearly written, well organized, and accessible to a beginner. Nonetheless, the book may still challenge a complete newcomer, but it's not insurmoutable. No previous knowledge is assumed, but, as always, some would facilitate comprehension.
Some of the numerous issues that arise include: philosophy as a non-cognitive pursuit distinct from science; language games; the dissolution of philosophical problems as opposed to their solution; the contemporary replacement of Cartesian mind/body with brain/body, thus maintaining the dualism; whether or not a person can "own" a pain; are experiences "privately owned"?; the confounding of "thinking" with "inner sight"; the expression of a pain does not imply an epistemic condition; the needlessness of positing an "inner realm" for experiencing one's sensations; how we can directly gain access to the inner goings-on of others (thus there is no absolute epistemic privacy); Wittgenstein's conception that brains don't have sensations, human beings do; behavior is the gateway to the "inner" of another human being; bodies and minds don't suffer, human beings do. In the end, Wittgenstein puts the totality of a human being in the place of the Cartesian mind/body dualism and the black box of the strict behaviorist. In the final section this idea gets applied to the question "Can machines think?"
Don't expect much biography. The book only scratches the extreme topmost surface of Wittgenstein's life. There is no mention of his upbringing in one of the wealthiest families of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Nor any talk about some of his erratic behavior, including his incredible desire for seclusion. His philosophy, not his life, receives emphasis here.
Though the book focuses on issues of mind, its real focus is on Wittgenstein's way of doing philosophy. Mind was just the chosen topic to delineate his work and make the text easier to follow. Thus, each clear example builds logically on the previous clear example. This book represents a great place to start, but a bad place to stop. Only the rudiments of a foundation get established here. Much more reading is required to fully appreciate the scope and radical nature of Wittgenstein's thought.
 Overview type book, emphasis on Mind August 20, 2001
7 out of 15 found this review helpful
This book is part of The Great Philosophers series put out by Routledge. Those who have plenty of background in philosophy consider these books crib-notes for things they forget. Those who have little background in philosophy consider these introductory texts. The books in this series are so short -- this one is only 57 pages -- that they are more rightly called extended exegesis articles on a particular philosopher. There's lots of Wittgenstein to cover, and Hacker mostly emphasizes W's views on mind. I used to be quite taken with Wittgenstein, but after much more exposure to philosophy, cognitive science, and mathematics, I now tend to find his views on these subjects mostly irritating, even if I find W. the man more interesting. There's been a lot of Philosophy of Mind move under the bridge since W., and I think many of his little "Ludwig-isms" are now open to respectful rejoinders. One of the recurring malfunctions the reader can note is how Wittgenstein didn't have a handle on the type-token distinction when dealing with instances of mental events. This leads him to ask all sorts of questions about mental experience, introspection, etc. which he thinks can't be answered. I would guess that in 150 years of computational improvement, intellectual history will look at W.'s philosophy of mind the way it looks at Aristotle's biology. Both are grand products tied to a particular worldview, rather than to theories constructed from controlled, quantitative measurements of events in the world. After all, 'the world is all that there is' as somebody, somewhere has written.
More than a great introduction, a path to clear thinking May 8, 2000
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Hacker's introduction to the later philosophy of Wittgenstein is a very brief but suprisingly in-depth discussion of the central issues. Most of the little book is dedicated to Wittgenstein's remarks concerning the philosophy of psychology but the opening section on Wittgenstein's conception of philosophy is enjoyeable to read. The book is a great introduction for readers new to Wittgenstein - both in content and style - but is equally valuable for the reader who is familiar with, and has a lasting interest in, Wittgenstein. The book acts as a series of reminders of some central themes. For those with a deep interest in Wittgenstein you may want to carry this little book around in your back pocket so as not to forget the path to clear thinking.
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