[C] [Wittrs] question for ABoncompagni
- From: "J" <jpdemouy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: wittrsamr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:52:48 -0000
Gentile signora,
Salve! Piacere di conoscerla.
That's as good as my Italian gets but I thought it worth the risk of
embarrassment since you've taken the time to address us in English.
Incidentally, your English seems more fluent to me than that of some posts I've
encountered here - presumably posts by native speakers! Certainly, it is far
more fluent than my Italian, and I think everyone here will read any remarks
you post with that in mind.
I wonder if you might be able to find the time to elaborate on something you
wrote in your introduction. It's an issue that holds no small interest to me.
"What personally attracts me is the fact that W. forces us to change completely
our way of doing philosophy - and, also, I believe, our way of living."
Several things come to mind here. First is his remark to Malcolm, referring
back to something Malcolm had said about "national character" and the plot to
assassinate Hitler, "What is the use of studying philosophy if all it does for
you is to enable you to talk with some plausibility about some abstruse
questions in logic, etc., and if it does not improve your thinking about the
important questions of everyday life?"
There's also, "What has to be overcome is not a difficulty of the intellect,
but of the will,"
But then there's the notorious, "It (philosophy) leaves everything as it is,"
which some (mistakenly in my view) have read as insisting that philosophy is
completely impotent or that it must be committed to the status quo.
Even reading that last remark in such conservative terms could still suggest a
change in ourselves, perhaps a passive resignation to the world. There may be
reasons to suppose that Wittgenstein was personally attracted to views like
that at various times, but I wouldn't think that his philosophy, per se,
advocates it.
These are just various directions I could see going with your remarks, but I am
much more curious to know what you have in mind.
Grazie.
JPDeMouy
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