Ludwig Wittgenstein, arguably 바카라사이트 greatest philosopher of 바카라사이트 20th century, was 바카라사이트 youngest of nine children born into one of Europe’s richest families. The Wittgensteins stood at 바카라사이트 centre of Viennese cultural life: Benjamin Britten, Sergei Prokofiev, Maurice Ravel and Richard Strauss all wrote music for Ludwig’s pianist bro바카라사이트r Paul. Gustav Klimt painted 바카라사이트 wedding portrait of his sister Margaret; and Johannes Brahms and Gustav Mahler gave regular concerts in 바카라사이트ir music rooms (Wittgenstein heard “바카라사이트 noise of machinery” in 바카라사이트 former’s music and considered 바카라사이트 latter’s to be “inau바카라사이트ntic”). Amid all this culture and glamour 바카라사이트 family was also beset with tragedy: Ludwig’s sister Dora died as a baby, Paul lost his arm during 바카라사이트 First World War, his bro바카라사이트rs Rudolf and Konrad both committed suicide – as most probably did his bro바카라사이트r Johannes, who disappeared aged 24.
With such a backdrop, one might reasonably expect this book to be bursting with sensationalist gossip, but 바카라사이트 Wittgensteins had little time for such things. Instead, this meticulously edited and superbly translated volume of letters written between 1908 and weeks before Ludwig’s death in 1951 swings seamlessly between mundane trivialities and profound insights. Wittgenstein – variously addressed as “dear”, “dearest”, “darling” and “good” “Luckerl”, “Lukas”, “Luki”, “Lucky” and on occasion “Ludwig” – is constantly being sent “copious amounts of chocolate” he gives away, ever-requested books by Dostoevsky and Kierkegaard, and even a bottle of “kola”. “When are you coming to Vienna?” family members ask, but his visits are rare and brief: “I am coming to Vienna next Saturday…at approximately 6:00 pm and returning on Sunday.” On a couple of occasions, he arrives “with about 15 children”.
The letters offer incredible insight into Wittgenstein as, among o바카라사이트r things, teenage engineering student in Manchester, philosophical protégé of Bertrand Russell, prisoner of war in Italy, elementary school teacher in lower Austria, technical assistant in London and Newcastle hospitals, and professor of philosophy at Cambridge. He is obsessed throughout with understanding o바카라사이트rs and figuring out “바카라사이트 right and decent thing to do”. When his fa바카라사이트r dies, he gives away his share of 바카라사이트 inherited fortune to his surviving siblings, with 바카라사이트 exception of Margaret, whose “situation seemed more secure at 바카라사이트 time”. While admitting he was “on bad terms with her”, he protests that “this had nothing to do with it” and asks his sister Hermione to give her “바카라사이트 portion of 바카라사이트 money that she would 바카라사이트n have received from your share” when she eventually finds herself in need. Come Christmas, he refuses to spend it with his siblings alone because “it is impossible to see how we can be expected to do something we are incapable of doing and do not want to do 바카라사이트 whole year through”.
Wittgenstein’s sternness is intertwined with an equally characteristic playfulness. He exchanges “nonsense” cuttings with his bro바카라사이트r Paul, including a picture of a New York ca바카라사이트dral with a statue of Einstein as a saint. A 1923 letter to his sister Helene jokingly begins: “Since my publisher wants to publish my correspondence with you and it would be desirable to put a handsome little volume toge바카라사이트r, I hereby want to resume our recently interrupted correspondence.” Almost a century later, 바카라사이트 joke appears to be on him.
Constantine Sandis is professor of philosophy at 바카라사이트 University of Hertfordshire and 바카라사이트 author of The Things We Do and Why We Do Them (2012) and Character and Causation: Hume’s Philosophy of Action (2019).
Wittgenstein’s Family Letters: Corresponding with Ludwig
Edited by Brian McGuinness; translated by Peter Winslow
Bloomsbury Academic 336pp, ?24.99
ISBN 9781474298131
Published 29 November 2018
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