[Wittrs] Re: Wittgenstein on Philosophers
- From: "SWM" <SWMirsky@xxxxxxx>
- To: wittrsamr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:08:13 -0000
Sean writes:
"... well Stuart, it may come as a breathtaking surprise to you, but I cannot
agree. The book is littered with Wittgensteiniams. And they rightfully sit
aside his philosophy, not in the trash can of it. And there is no comparing
Allan Ginsberg's nose flem with Wittgenstein's brain, even when the latter is
thinking of, say, cartoons. . . .
"As he makes beautiful statements such as these, his colleagues are doing
ridiculous things like "p and not p." Why on earth a book
such as this should not be published I could never understand. People have
found all sorts of wonderful things about him in there. His comments on music
are thought to be remarkable. As are his comments on politics. Whatever the man
thought about ANYTHING was worthwhile because of the WAY he thinks."
No, not as a surprise at all. I rather figured we'd disagree. I suspect I
admire Wittgenstein's thinking as much as you or any self-avowed
Wittgensteinian. But I probably don't revere it quite as much. He was a subtle
and insightful thinker but I don't think he was always right or somehow
infallible. After all, he himself thought he had been wrong at times. Why
shouldn't those of us who admire him take him at his word and agree that he is
no less worthy of criticism than anyone else?
On the other hand, I tend to think the material culled for Culture and Value of
relatively little worth, even having come from his mind and hand, than a lot of
his other stuff, not least because, had he wanted it to be published he'd have
treated it differently and prepared it for that purpose. We all do private
jottings at time. Should we, would we want every jot and tittle of what we've
scribbled down to see the light of day? How much more so, in Wittgenstein's
case who agonized so intensively over the manuscript of the PI?
But anyway, we don't always need to agree. I at least agree that it is worth
reading Culture and Value, if only to get a look inside his mind (which isn't
the same as studying his most powerful ideas).
SWM
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