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Wed 12 Aug, 2009 06:54 pm
How to Read Wittgenstein by Ray Monk
ISBN-10: 186207724X
ISBN-13: 978-1862077249
Overview
This short but insightful book by Ray Monk, who also wrote a critically aclaimed Biography of Wittgenstein. Ray Monk sums up the important aspects of Wittgenstein's early and later philosophy. In 11 short chapters with each chapter taking a look a Wittgenstein's philosophy by taking a detailed look at certain passages within Wittgensteins work and aims to provide the reader with clear & concise introduction into Wittgenstein's thought.
Positives
-Ray Monk's style is clear & concise in his written style and has considerable knowledge about the subject matter. For being a short book it offers the reader considerable knowledge about Wittgenstein's Philosophy.
-By focusing only on particular area's of Wittgenstein's Philosophy in particular those which will be of the most interest to someone who has developed interest in Wittgenstein means that the reader gets a deeper review of those isssue's than if Ray Monk had tried to take a broader review of Wittgenstein.
-Offers someone with little knowledge of Wittgenstein a good introductionary text and may still offer to some interesting points to those more versed in Wittgenstein.
Negatives
- As Ray Monk admits in his introduction the text only offers one possible way of reading Wittgenstein. With debate over how Wittgenstein should be read still raging this could be seen as a drawback.
-As already mentioned the book takes a narrow look at Wittgenstein's philosophy leaving out aspects that many may feel important. But to make a complete review of Wittgensteins thought would be well beyond of a scope of a short introduction.
-This particular Introduction to Wittgenstein has been accused of not looking at the Wider application of Wittgenstein's ideas and doesnt make enough emphasis on the Wittgensteinen method. Which I would say is somewhat fair.
Overall - 8/10
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