Philosophical Investigations

By: Ludwig Wittgenstein, G. E. M. Anscombe - translator

Narrated by: Jonathan Booth

Philosophical Investigations - a landmark in 20th century philosophy - was published in 1953, two years after the death of its author. In the preface written in Cambridge in 1945 where he was professor of philosophy he states: ‘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 the latter could be seen in the right light only by contrast with and against the background of my old way of thinking.’

Philosophical Investigations was the result.

It explores the concept of meaning, of understanding, of propositions, of logic, of states of consciousness and of many other topics. The fundamental ideas of the Tractatus are both expounded and criticised. This is the text of the third edition.

©1958 Basil Blackwell & Moss Ltd (P)2020 Ukemi Productions Ltd

Facts

I think it’s good about philosophy and your facts in the investigation and things too I think.

Exceptional Clarity

Ludwig Wittgenstein delivered an extremely clear and cogent exposition of the bare facts of epistemology, and the many flaws of human natural languages.

One of the Masterpieces of 20th Philosophy

This a very good narration of a work of genius. The performance would warrant five stars but for the odd pronunciation of names such as “Frege,” which is inexplicably pronounced as “frayj.” In my experience, such a lapse is unusual in a Ukemi audiobook. Nevertheless, Jonathan Booth is a clear and pleasant narrator.

What’s he driving at? Wittgenstein’s maxim, is that all?

Very well performed by the narrator, and yet I am left wondering what the author was driving at. He defines an apparently useful concept called language games, meaning, I would say, the behavior which gives to our use of words their shared understanding in a given context. Yet at the end, I can’t help thinking that modern society has through government paid a brilliant man to waste his life’s work on mere puzzles and missing that ultimately leaves society and posterity with little to show for it. My time was largely wasted, though I have some interesting bits of mental experience: for example, Mr scott is not a Scott. I call this Wittgenstein’s maxim.

No PDF

The promised PDF is not included. The audio recording is well done, but this is a significant absence.