Wittgenstein: Philosophy in an Hour

By: Paul Strathern

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

Philosophy for busy people. Listen to this succinct account of the philosophy of Wittgenstein in just one hour.

Ludwig Wittgenstein saw himself as ‘the last philosopher’. In his view, philosophy in the traditional sense was finished. A superb logician, Wittgenstein distrusted language and sought to solve the problems of philosophy by reducing them to the purest form of logic. Everything else – metaphysics, aesthetics, ethics, finally even philosophy itself – was excluded. He famously stated, ‘of that which we cannot speak we must remain silent', thus eliminating all concepts which do not arise from experience or are amenable to logical thought

Wittgenstein: Philosophy in an Hour is an audiobook showcasing an expert account of Wittgenstein’s life and philosophical ideas – entertainingly written and above all easy to listen to. Also included are selections from his work, suggested further reading and chronologies that place Wittgenstein in the context of the broader scheme of philosophy.

Critic reviews

‘Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them . . .I find them hard to stop reading.’ New York Times

‘Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise’ Wall Street Journal

‘Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character . . . I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization.’ Boston Globe

‘A godsend in this era of the short attention span.’ New York Times

Heavily biased account of Wittgenstein's life&work

Strathern describes Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, held by many to be one of the seminal philosophical works of the 20th century, as "a bitter disappointment". I was looking forward to an impossibly short summary of Ray Monk's detailed (and magnificent) biography "Ludwig Wittgenstein: Duty of Genius". I was bitterly disappointed.