Okay, I'm not going to pretend I have actually made it through this entire thing yet.

I'm just not that smart and I definitely don't have that kind of time on my hands.

However, Ludwig is a genius.

He is extremely intelligent and has an amazing mind.

His intellectual abilities are truly remarkable.

And look at how hot he was.

He had a certain charm and attractiveness that was hard to ignore.

His appearance was captivating and he had a presence that drew people to him.

Overall, Ludwig is not only a genius but also a very appealing person.

I can only admire his qualities from afar.

Maybe one day, I'll be able to understand even a fraction of his genius.

Until then, I'll continue to be in awe of him.

The analysis of this book is probably not possible in a foolish way like mine. Therefore, it is not necessary to take the opinions with a very great importance.

When reading, the first thing that comes to mind is that the book is not like the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. The last few parts of this book, which was written a few days before his death, were compiled by the editors, which Wittgenstein might have excluded himself.

So, what is this book about? What is the purpose?

Let's state the purpose first. In his own words, the purpose is:

464. My aim is: to teach you to pass from a piece of disguised nonsense to something that is patent nonsense.

At the beginning of the book, a concept called language-game is introduced. According to him, there are separate sub-languages or language games apart from the context of language. In these language games, the meaning of words, sentence structure, and the way of meaning determination can all be different from what we generally think of a language.

Thought, sensation, physiology, and psychology have come into this discussion.

The type of this book is a bit interesting. If you have enough experience in life, you will actually have many interconnected thoughts that are not within the scope of any one subject. You will want to talk about these types of thoughts, but if you talk, you will have to move from one subject to another so much that you will not write thinking about consistency and comprehensibility. This book is the type of book that thinkers are afraid to write.

My professor did not lie.

Wittgenstein's ideas on language are indeed very complex. He emphasized this point repeatedly, almost as if he said it ten times.

Nevertheless, his work is a great theoretical achievement. It presents an incredibly interesting methodology that I always associate with his writings and lectures.

Thanks to Wittgenstein, one now understands that language has never been a simple matter. It is a rich and multifaceted phenomenon that requires in-depth study and analysis.

His ideas have had a profound impact on various fields, including philosophy, linguistics, and psychology.

By exploring the nature and limits of language, Wittgenstein has opened up new avenues of research and understanding.

His work continues to inspire scholars and thinkers around the world to this day.

I think it is an essential book, not only for philosophy enthusiasts but also for anyone who likes any kind of knowledge.

The author's level of critical analysis around 'knowledge' and the way he presents it in his notes, through revolutionary concepts and ideas that were the foundation for almost all of the scientific philosophy being done currently, enables the reader to acquire a particular 'way of life' and therefore a new way of approaching knowledge.

Wittgenstein does not pretend to formulate a system of thought. As he warns in the prologue, he will only say the ideas he had over the years as a thinker. Therefore, I think it is extremely important to have, before starting to read "Philosophical Investigations", some idea of the author's general thought. This is in order to be able to understand what often might seem like isolated sentences (not quite aphorisms since sometimes it seems that the author is writing notes to himself, which he would later -I suppose- have reformulated if he had not passed away) without context.

It is this unique approach and the depth of his ideas that make this book a must-read for those interested in exploring the nature of knowledge and the way we think.

I read about the first half of this book and then stopped.

For the most part, it presents the story of a philosopher grappling with a problem that I have never encountered. It has always been evident to me that there is a powerful current within Anglo-American logic and philosophy of language that is extremely reductive and naively realist. This current believes that it can somehow bracket or ignore the profound issues raised by its own simplistic epistemological and ontological assumptions simply by pretending they don't apply to its abstract cases.

"We'll just set aside every question regarding how language and logic are employed in the actual world and assume that P is a proposition, whose truth-value lies in its degree of correspondence to the actual'state of affairs,' which we assume is discoverable in principle, as if we had never read or understood Kant."

Wittgenstein came to the realization late in life that language is something acquired and utilized by actual agents. When this is taken seriously, it immediately creates profound problems for a simple correspondence theory of truth. This is what he painstakingly demonstrates in this book, for the most part. And for the right reader at the right time, this book could be like an atomic bomb detonating within their worldview.

Although I can appreciate its construction and brilliance, the larger point is largely lost on me. Moreover, many of the novel and justly famous aspects of his theory, such as his concept of "family resemblances" and language games, were already familiar to me.

This is the first work by Wittgenstein I’ve ever read. I’ve been terrified of him for years, truth be told. I’ve read a biography by W.W. Bartley III. The main memory I have of that book is of Wittgenstein waiting to be captured in WWI and him humming the second movement of Beethoven’s Seventh. That has always been one of my all-time favourite pieces of music.

The fear has come from the fact Wittgenstein is known as being off-the-scale brilliant. I just assumed he would be too hard to read.

This book is, in fact, quite beautifully written. The ideas are complex at times, but he does all he can to make them clear.

That said, I also know I’ve only skimmed the surface of this one.

This is a book about meaning. It is about how language ‘means’ and the extent to which language allows communication between people. Wittgenstein’s answer is that language is always socially situated.

A philosophical project prior to this was the idea of creating a language that could be unambiguous and purely logical. But Wittgenstein asks if even homophones are really the same.

He also compares language to music, saying “Understanding a sentence is much more akin to understanding a theme in music than one might think.”

All of this makes me think of the difference between ‘effect’ and ‘affect’. I think these two words are homophones in English, but their spelling distinction may be about stressing social superiority.

When people get obsessed with the spellings of ‘there’, ‘their’ and ‘they’re’, it’s about showing off academic capital.

I think this is the idea Wittgenstein is alluding to when he says language is really language games.

When I studied philosophy, someone would always say, “you know, what I see as red might not be anything at all like what you see as red – we just don’t know.” Wittgenstein spends a lot of time talking about pain.

There is much more to this book than I can cover and much more than I’ve even understood. It reminded me of Saussure and Chomsky. But this is a book of questions rather than a book of answers.

Oh, Wittgenstein.

He is truly a remarkable figure among the major philosophers I have ever delved into. His ideas often seem to cut through the clutter and make a great deal of sense.

However, there are times when his works can still be rather obscure and difficult to fully grasp.

Thankfully, this particular piece is not as impenetrable as his famous Tractatus.

The Tractatus was notoriously complex and dense, leaving many readers scratching their heads.

In contrast, while Wittgenstein's current work still has its challenging moments, it offers more accessible insights and perspectives.

It makes me appreciate his unique approach to philosophy and the depth of his thinking.

Despite the occasional obscurity, I find myself constantly drawn back to his ideas, eager to uncover more of their hidden meanings and significance.

Wittgenstein's work continues to fascinate and intrigue me, and I look forward to further exploring his philosophical contributions.

The only truly great work of philosophy.

This is not just a book; it is an instruction manual on how to make sense.

If one's philosophical reasoning is not guided by the ideas within this book, one is essentially groping in the dark.

Wittgenstein's ideas lie at the core of any philosophy that has value, and thus this book is perhaps the most crucial piece of intellectual work in human history.

Addendum: Many years later, I will add to this review simply to state that, although this review is much more forcefully worded than I would express now, Philosophical Investigations still remains unique in my mind as a seminal work that anyone who wishes to reason about the world must take seriously.

It is a work that challenges our assumptions and forces us to think deeply about the nature of language, thought, and reality.

Wittgenstein's insights are profound and far-reaching, and his work continues to influence philosophers and thinkers today.

Whether you are a professional philosopher or simply someone interested in exploring the big questions of life, Philosophical Investigations is a must-read.

Block, pillar, slab, beam... These are the fundamental elements that form the backbone of many structures.

Blocks are often used as the basic building units, providing stability and support. They can be made of various materials such as concrete, stone, or brick.

Pillars, on the other hand, are vertical elements that carry the weight of the structure above. They are crucial in distributing the load evenly and ensuring the overall stability of the building.

Slabs are flat, horizontal surfaces that are used for flooring, roofing, or as a base for other components. They can be reinforced with steel bars to increase their strength and durability.

Beams are horizontal members that span across openings or support the weight of slabs and other elements. They play a vital role in transferring the load from one part of the structure to another.

Together, these elements work in harmony to create strong, stable, and functional structures that can withstand the test of time.

I couldn't possibly do justice to Philosophical Investigations in a review. Even after reading it several times, I understand only a fraction of it. The unworthy thought sometimes crosses my mind that perhaps its author didn't fully understand it either. But you understand, I'm just jealous as I'm not a Great Philosopher. I truly wish I were one.

Assuming you aren't an aspiring Great Philosopher, my advice is not to take this book too seriously. It can be very frustrating. Skim through it quickly, and then check out \\"Philosophical Tribulations\\" by Flash qFiasco and the Uncyclopedia article on Wittgenstein. These may help you appreciate the humorous side of this unfinished masterpiece.

I had to try it myself. See my review of Biggles of the Camel Squadron.

I particularly recommend the following passage from the end of Dr. qFiasco's article:

38. The wind cries Mary, but it can’t call Bob. Why?

39. Come down off the peaks of obscure-rant-ism with your rucksack of little grammatical fictions and just whack balls around on the croquet pitch of mundanity. Sometimes a simile makes me puke.

40. If I say ‘raise your arm,’ you know perfectly well what to do and you raise your arm. Now suppose I say, ‘Want to raise your arm. Only--don’t really raise it, just want to.’ Are you quite sure you know what to do in this case? Suppose I say, ‘Want to raise your arm tomorrow.’ Now suppose I said that last week, and say it again next week; is this the same want as before, or a different one? ‘Of course all those queer wants go on in me, and now I want to say--’ Oh, to hell with what you always want to say. Get on with it!

41. My philosophy can only be understood as bad poetry.

42. Philosophy is the disease for which it is supposed to be the cure, but isn’t.

We have met the enemy and they are us. (The Jewishness of this remark.)

This text is truly unique, distinct from anything I have ever read before. However, the ideas it presents 'feel' astonishingly familiar. At its core, it is a profound exploration into how we can communicate better and what the very essence of communication means. Philosophical Investigations consists of 693 'remarks', which are then followed by Philosophy of Psychology — A Fragment with 372 'remarks'.

One of the most remarkable aspects of this book is its order, detail, and the expression of language, especially punctuation. The language has a certain rhythm to it, with a sense of repetition serving as a means of correction, calibration, and clarification. It delves into numerous ideas, such as how not to improperly refer to objects and concepts, how syncopating gestures and utterances create meaning that is context-dependent, how to distinguish the intentions of language from its meaning, and the difference between inner language and speech. There are over a thousand such ideas if measured by the 'remarks'. Some of my favorite 'remarks' include:

546. In this way, I'd like to say, the words "Oh, if only he'd come!" are charged with my longing. And words can be wrung from us — like a cry. Words can be hard to utter: those, for example, with which one renounces something, or confesses a weakness. (Words are also deeds.)

This last part, in the parentheses, reminds me of Faulkner's greatest sentence, as I see it: "Hear the dark voicelessness where the words are the deeds, and the words that are not the deeds but the gaps in peoples lacks." — Addie in AILD

I wonder if this is what Faulkner was referring to. He couldn't point directly; only I can listen to the words and move my eyes in accordance as the thought comes to my mind.

588. "I’m in two minds whether to go away tomorrow." (This may be called a description of a state of mind.) — "Your arguments don't convince me; now as before it is my intention to go away tomorrow." Here one is tempted to call the intention a feeling. The feeling is one of a certain rigidity, of irrevocable decision. (But here too there are many different characteristic feelings and attitudes.) —— I am asked: "How long are you staying here?" I reply: "Tomorrow I'm going away; it's the end of my holidays." — But, by contrast, I say, at the end of a quarrel, "All right! Then I'll go tomorrow!" — I make a decision.

I read PI in two distinct bursts. Once in May while teaching spoken communication, and now again just before returning to teach writing. It is an absolute joy to reflect on the depths of language, of articulation, of issues of communication not related to language itself, to the psychology of the mind, and particularly to current language learning theories of first and second languages.

I have already become less dizzy.

This is a significant improvement for me.

Before, the dizziness was quite bothersome and affected my daily life.

I had trouble concentrating and performing even the simplest tasks.

But now, as the dizziness subsides, I can feel a newfound sense of clarity and energy.

I am able to move around more freely and engage in activities without the constant worry of dizziness.

It's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

I'm hopeful that this improvement will continue and that I'll be able to fully recover my normal state of health.

I'm also taking steps to ensure that I maintain this progress, such as getting enough rest, eating a balanced diet, and staying hydrated.

Overall, I'm very grateful for this positive change in my condition.