Ludwig Wittgenstein

As soon as you crack a book about Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein, you quickly learn he was one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century. But as you read more about Ludwig and what he wrought, you suspect that the various authors and biographers really think he was the greatest philosopher in history bar none.

So naturally you buy and try to read one of Ludwig books. Then you find passages like "the world is everything that is the case" or "the facts in logical space are the world", and even "what is the case, the fact, is the existence of atomic facts". So before long you're asking "From this he made a living?" And then you're really surprised when you find that he ultimately became Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge University and realize that he did indeed.

The ultimate question, then, is 1) whether anyone really knows what Ludwig was talking about, 2) whether Ludwig even knew what he was talking about, and 3) are all the bouquets and accolades thrown out really just the pretentious posing of fatuous holders of endowed professorships to hide the fact that Emperor Ludwig really is the most scantily clad of philosophers. Fortunately, the answer to questions 2) and 3) are "No" and "No" which means we can find the answer to question 1).

When you get down to it, Ludwig was just trying to answer the question posed by Flakey Foont's cri de couer, "Mr. Natural! What does it all mean?" Fortunately for us, Flakey was addressing the man who could answer in a single three word and completely understandable sentence what took Ludwig two very difficult and near incomprehensible books.

And we all know what Mr. Natural said.

Ludwig, of course, completely agreed - and you will too if you just click here.