Blue & Brown Books

Rating:
Summary: Changed my life
Review: If I can recall the one book that influenced my thoughts, even my life, more than any other, it would have to be Wittgenstein's Blue Book. It is THE reason to ever learn how to read!

Rating:
Summary: Resplendent, explosive...
Review: If you've never read Wittgenstein, bear down; and soon enough you'll cry, and shout, and praise God--blessed are the hours this man lived! Make room on your bedside table, tear out and fold the pages so you can carry them in your pocket; invest in your enlightenment.

Rating:
Summary: Resplendent, explosive...
Review: If you've never read Wittgenstein, bear down; and soon enough you'll cry, and shout, and praise God--blessed are the hours this man lived! Make room on your bedside table, tear out and fold the pages so you can carry them in your pocket; invest in your enlightenment.

Rating:
Summary: NOT RECOMMENDED FOR BEGINNERS
Review: Many people claim that this is a good introduction to Wittgenstein's later thought but I have found it quite difficult to follow (even though it PRECEDED Philosophical Investigations.) I would start with Wittgenstein's ON CERTAINTY, ironically his "last" work.

Rating:
Summary: Precursor to the Investigations
Review: The so-called "Blue and Brown Books" are in fact Wittgenstein's notes in the period leading up to the publication of his Magnum Opus, the "Philosophical Investigations". As I understand, these notes (as well as many other collections of Wittgenstein's notes that were published postthumously) were never intended to be published. The reason almost all of Wittgenstein's notes were published is his enormous importance in 20th century philosophy and the difficulty in fully understanding his positions.

Ultimately, to understand Wittgenstein one must read the "Philosophical Investigations"; this volume can only assist an advance student of Wittgenstein in coming to terms with his philosophy, and cannot, in my opinion, serve as introduction to the investigations. Instead, I suggetst reading the Investigations along with an introductory or exegetical text such as A. Kenny's "Wittgenstein" or P.M.S. Hacker's "Insight and Illusion", or any number of other texts written with the same purpose in mind.

To sum up: this book is recommended for advanced students as an ancillary to the Ïnvestigations", not as a separate text.

Rating:
Summary: Foundations of the Philosophical Investigations
Review: This volume is an excellent introduction to themes developed in the Philosophical Investigations. Many of the ideas of Wittgenstein's later thought are already here in their final form; others develop through the two very differrent books included in this one volume. Because some of his important views are not mentioned in either the blue or brown books, the best way to discover his views is to read the Philosophical Investigations.