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Rating: 
Summary: A Great Book for Beginners
Review: Sean Sheenan's "Wittgenstein: A Beginner's Guide" is a surprisingly clear, informative, and entertaining little book about the philosophical thought of Ludwig Wittgenstein. Sheenan suceeds in capturing much of Wittgenstein's philosophy in a manner very easy to understand, yet without loosing much of the depth so characteristic of "beginner" or "introductory" works on the great - and often quite complicated - philosophers (I have in mind Paul Strathern's heavily biographical "XYZ in 90 Minutes" series and the oft-muddled "XYZ for Beginners" series here).
Sheehan complies eight neat little chapters into his short book, including biographical highlights, a chapter on the basics of Wittgenstein's "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus," two chapters on broad topics in Wittgenstein's "Philosophical Investigations," a chapter on "middle" Wittgenstein, a couple chapters on Wittgenstein's place in and impact upon 20th Century Philosophy, and even a chapter on philosophy's post-Wittgenstein future. To top it all off, Sheehan also includes a brief index of key concepts covered in the book.
For a true beginner, one can't go wrong with this book. It is written in a funny and easy to follow style, and even has informative illustrations where applicable. Most importantly, however, is that Wittgenstein's philosophy really does come out well in this book (of course it only scratches the surface, but that's what these books are supposed to do!). In comparison with similar items, Sheehans book provides far more substance than the abovementioned introductory books do, but far less than pretty much everything else out there. For readers looking to move to the "next level," I'd personally suggest J. Schulte's "Wittgenstein: An Introduction."
Rating:
Summary: A True Book for Beginners
Review: Sean Sheenan's "Wittgenstein: A Beginner's Guide" is a surprisingly clear, informative, and entertaining little book about the philosophical thought of Ludwig Wittgenstein. Sheenan suceeds in capturing much of Wittgenstein's philosophy in a manner very easy to understand, yet without loosing much of the depth so characteristic of "beginner" or "introductory" works on the great - and often quite complicated - philosophers (I have in mind Paul Strathern's heavily biographical "XYZ in 90 Minutes" series and the oft-muddled "XYZ for Beginners" series here).Sheehan complies eight neat little chapters into his short book, including biographical highlights, a chapter on the basics of Wittgenstein's "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus," two chapters on broad topics in Wittgenstein's "Philosophical Investigations," a chapter on "middle" Wittgenstein, a couple chapters on Wittgenstein's place in and impact upon 20th Century Philosophy, and even a chapter on philosophy's post-Wittgenstein future. To top it all off, Sheehan also includes a brief index of key concepts covered in the book. For a true beginner, one can't go wrong with this book. It is written in a funny and easy to follow style, and even has informative illustrations where applicable. Most importantly, however, is that Wittgenstein's philosophy really does come out well in this book (of course it only scratches the surface, but that's what these books are supposed to do!). In comparison with similar items, Sheehans book provides far more substance than the abovementioned introductory books do, but far less than pretty much everything else out there. For readers looking to move to the "next level," I'd personally suggest J. Schulte's "Wittgenstein: An Introduction."
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