[Wittrs] Re: Stuart Mirsky's Review of McGuinness' Young Ludwig
- From: "SWM" <SWMirsky@xxxxxxx>
- To: wittrs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:21:58 -0000
--- In Wittrs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, brendan downs <wittrs@...> wrote:
>
>
> SWM
>
> Yes I do stand to be corrected in my quote. How do I understand this "Four
> years ago I had occasion to re-read my first book (the Tractatus
> Logico-Philosophicus) and to explain its ideas to someone. It suddenly seemed
> to me that I should publish those old thoughts and the new ones together";
> That he has published another book with both idea's in it, or that he is
> thinking of publishing another book with both ideas, or both his old thoughts
> and his new thoughts are in Philosophical Investigations? I think you see the
> ambiguity i'm >talking about.
>
>
Actually no. I think it's fairly clear. The point is that to see the power of
the new ideas, their value, one has to understand the mistake(s) they are
directed against. They take their value from addressing and correcting certain
kinds of problems which are exemplified by certain kinds of philosophical
thinking, certain ways of doing philosophy. In this case it looks pretty clear
to me that he is saying that the "grave mistakes" he sought to rectify were
represented by THAT way of doing philosophy and the kinds of ideas that
approach led philosophers to. Thus to grasp what he is now saying, we need to
be conversant with what went awry before.
Of course he did not publish the PI in his lifetime so we don't know what it
would finally have looked like but surely there were no instructions left to
his executors to publish the PI and the Tractatus together (or they likely
would have), nor, apparently, any sense among those folks that that was really
what was needed or what he ultimately intended.
More important is to look at the ideas of the PI and, keeping his point about
their relationship with the ideas of the Tractatus in mind, to see how the PI
serves to correct the earlier misconceptions and metaphysical approach of the
Tractatus.
Thus, it seems to me, the Tractatus is mainly of historical interest and of
little value as a work of philosophy to be followed in any serious way. Indeed,
if the author himself chose to discard that way of thinking, and we purport to
admire the author for his sagacity, what justification is there for
disregarding him in forsaking his earlier mode of doing philosophy for the
latter?
>
> He goes goes on to write "I make them without doubtful feeling. it is not
> impossible that it should fall to the lot of this work, in it's poverty and
> in the darkness of this time, to bring light into
> one brain or another-but, of course, it likely."
Where did you take that quote from? The actual text reads: "I make them [the
ideas in the PI] public with doubtful feelings. It is not impossible that it
should fall to the lot of this work, in its poverty and in the darkness of this
time, to bring light into one brain or another -- but, of course, it is not
likely."
>What can we make of this?
Well first we have to be sure we have the quote right. But then I would say it
suggests both his dark mood concerning then current events as well as his
appropriate modesty in writing a preface to his own work. After all, one
shouldn't preface what one has written oneself with extravagant self-praise!
Good form calls for humility.
> it does resembe the contentous remark to Russell and Moore when he patted
> them on the back and said they would not understand the Tractatus.
Not really since in the above he is being modest (whether sincerely or only for
appearance's sake) while in the case you cite he was being something of an
arrogant young twit (even if he may have been accurate in his assessment).
> Also if you put a poets spin on it it also makes interesting reading.
>
Well he does have a penchant for the poetic turn at times. But his value as a
philosopher far exceeds his value as a poet, at least in my view.
SWM
WEB VIEW: http://tinyurl.com/ku7ga4
TODAY: http://alturl.com/whcf
3 DAYS: http://alturl.com/d9vz
1 WEEK: http://alturl.com/yeza
GOOGLE: http://groups.google.com/group/Wittrs
YAHOO: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wittrs/
FREELIST: //www.freelists.org/archive/wittrs/09-2009
Other related posts:
