Ludwig Wittgenstein: Biography Of This Viennese Philosopher
Philosophy has never been studied in the same way. One of the great contributors to this discipline of knowledge, and who understood it from its most analytical side, was Ludwig Wittgenstein, an important Austrian philosopher and mathematician, born in 1889 in Vienna.
In this article we will see a biography of Ludwig Wittgenstein We will learn about his origins, his career, his work and some of the contributions he made to the field of philosophy and language. Finally, we will quote some of his famous phrases that are still referenced today.
Ludwig Wittgenstein was a Viennese philosopher, born on April 26, 1889 in Vienna, and died on April 29, 1951 in Cambridge, at the age of 62. In addition to being a philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein was also a mathematician and linguist Although he is of Austrian origin, he also obtained British nationality. Wittgenstein is considered one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century.
Ludwig also worked as a teacher, first in a town in Austria and then at Trinity College, Cambridge University, where he had been a student of Bertrand Russell. Bertrand Russell, an important British philosopher, was also a writer, and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950.
Origin
Ludwig Wittgenstein was born in 1889 in Vienna (Austria), son of Leopoldine Kalmus and Karl Wittgenstein. Ludwig Wittgenstein was the youngest of nine brothers. One of them, Paul Wittgenstein, was a renowned pianist. Wittgenstein’s family was one of the most important and richest at the time specifically from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
His father, Karl Wittgenstein, was one of the successful businessmen of the time, and had a monopoly on the iron and steel sector. His mother, Leopoldine, was the daughter of a Jewish man and a Catholic woman. Ludwig Wittgenstein and his brothers, however, were baptized as Catholics.
But Ludwig Wittgenstein moved away from the business world from which he came and focused on philosophy, mathematics, and the study of logic and language.
Early years
Regarding Ludwig Wittgenstein’s early life and his life in the family home, the philosopher He was provided with an environment that enhanced his artistic and intellectual gifts Ludwing’s parents had a love for music and promoted the artistic branch of all his children; For example, one of her sons, Paul Wittgenstein, became an important pianist.
In addition, very important people in the cultural and artistic sphere came to the family home, which nourished that already cultured environment.
Trajectory
Ludwig Wittgenstein began his studies in the cities of Linz (Austria) and Berlin (Germany). Specifically, In Linz he enrolled at the Realschule Bundesrealgymnasium Fadingerstrasse ; Coincidentally, Adolf Hitler also studied at that same school.
Ludwig then traveled to Great Britain with the aim of studying engineering at the University of Manchester. He later entered Trinity College, Cambridge to study pure mathematics. Mathematics was the first field that Ludwig wanted to investigate, but Later the doors of logic and philosophy opened for him also starting his study.
Ludwig enlisted as a soldier in the Austro-Hungarian army at the beginning of World War I (1914-1918), and was captured in the last weeks of the war by the Italians. This led to him being imprisoned for almost two years in Italy, in one of his prison camps.
However, Even during the war Ludwig continued with his philosophical reflections, creating different notebooks where he wrote his thoughts, which he continued even after achieving freedom.
It was at the end of the war, in 1921, when he produced his most famous work: “Tractatus logico-philosophicus”, which we will see later.
Research
Ludwing’s research focuses especially on two fields or branches of philosophy: the philosophy of language and logic (or philosophy of logic). But what do they consist of?
The philosophy of language is the branch of philosophy focused on studying language itself; its nature, implications, relationship with thought, etc. In fact, one of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s quintessential phrases is: “The limits of my language are the limits of my world.”
For its part, logic within philosophy encompasses those areas of philosophy that use logical methods to solve philosophical problems. That is, the philosophy of logic is a branch of philosophy that aims to study logical systems (their nature and justification), and that aims to advance, providing knowledge, in the discussion of philosophical problems.
Philosophy and language
Ludwig Wittgenstein understood philosophy as a method of conceptual and linguistic analysis Some consider him the founder of “analytical philosophy”, where his desire for knowledge was evident through questions and language.
According to him, philosophy allowed the ideas found in language to be clarified. Ludwig Wittgenstein believed that language was made up of complex propositions that had to be analyzed and decomposed into simpler structures.
On the other hand, Ludwig believed that words were tools that performed different functions within language and even beyond it. One of the concepts contributed by Ludwig Wittgenstein was the “language game.”
One of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s most famous works is Tractatus logico-philosophicus, which ended between 1918 and 1921. This work collects some of the most influential theories of the “Vienna Circle.” The Vienna Circle, of which he did not consider himself a member, was a scientific and philosophical organization in Vienna, which existed from 1921 to 1936.
In the Vienna Circle, scientific and philosophical topics were discussed; Mainly, they addressed “the logic of science,” and gave philosophy the role of distinguishing between what is scientific and what is not. Furthermore, the members of this circle were in charge of developing a common language in the scientific field. These theories can be found in Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Tractatus logico-philosophicus.
As for the work of this philosopher, actually, while he was alive Ludwig published only this treatise, along with an article and a review.
The work of Ludwig Wittgenstein covers topics as diverse as mathematics, philosophy and language Some of the most notable works of the Austrian philosopher were:
Death and legacy
Ludwig Wittgenstein died at the age of 62, in Cambridge, specifically on April 29, 1951. The cause of his death was prostate cancer, which he refused to treat.
In addition to his works, we find in his career some famous phrases of the philosopher, such as:
These phrases reflect his passion for language, for the study of thought and for his love of philosophy and its logic.
