The thesis presented here may not always be entirely convincing. However, it is a well-executed piece of cultural and intellectual history.

It offers an interesting and enjoyable read that effectively situates Wittgenstein's theories within their proper historical context.

This work is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in fin de siecle Vienna.

It provides valuable insights into the intellectual and cultural milieu of that particular time and place, allowing readers to better understand the development and significance of Wittgenstein's ideas.

Whether one is a scholar of philosophy, history, or simply has a general interest in the subject matter, this article is sure to engage and inform.

Overall, it is a worthwhile contribution to the field of cultural and intellectual history.

A classic examination of the social life and intellectual circles in Vienna during the final days of the Habsburg era. I believe Toulmin somewhat exaggerates the sense of crisis. After all, he is aware of what will occur in 1914, while the cafe debaters in, for example, 1910, are not. Nevertheless, he does succeed in capturing the ambiance of a city where the thinkers are generating a significant portion of what will become modern thought and art, all the while understanding that the world surrounding them is disintegrating.

This portrayal offers a fascinating glimpse into a time of great change and intellectual ferment. The cafes of Vienna were not just places to relax and socialize but also hotspots for intense intellectual discussions. It was here that the ideas that would shape the future were born and debated.

Despite the backdrop of an uncertain and changing world, the thinkers in Vienna were able to produce remarkable works of art and thought. Their ability to navigate the complex social and political landscape of the time and still make significant contributions is truly remarkable. Toulmin's work provides a valuable perspective on this important period in history.

Most delightful.

I chanced upon this book while perusing the web store of a local bookshop. Little did I imagine that an exploration of the social and political backdrop of Wittgenstein's work on language and reality could be such a captivating read.

We encounter both well-known names like Kant, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, and even Tolstoy, who are expected in a philosophical context, as well as those less commonly associated with philosophy such as Herz, Planck, Mach, and Boltzmann. We witness a plethora of scientific and cultural ideas evolving through the twilight of Hapsburg Vienna and come face to face with the burning questions of ethics that the Tractatus and later Wittgenstein works would address.

The list of relevant questions that spring to mind seems almost endless. When should a theory be developed from general analysis to explain the universe, and when as a means of solving practical problems? What are the implications of neo-Kantian ideas that reason cannot determine morality on contemporary humanitarianism and political typologies? Can and should we consider the ethics of science and technology outside of rational frameworks? To what extent is language an appropriate metaphor for reality, and is anthropology any less flawed a representation of the physical world than, for example, the blackhole statistical systems used in deep learning methods?

I have seldom been so stimulated by scholastic nonfiction. As Rorty so aptly states - "If it is to have inspirational value, a work must be allowed to recontextualize much of what you previously thought you knew."

I was on a quest for a top-notch cultural history of fin de siecle Vienna. Alas, this particular book wasn't quite what I had hoped for. However, I didn't give up and persisted. It turned out to be a dense and rather challenging read, much like taking your brain to the gym for a rigorous workout. But, it was also highly rewarding.

The central thesis put forward is that Wittgenstein and the philosophical inquiries he embarked upon were, to some extent, a product of the late-Hapsburg Viennese society. Moreover, the misunderstanding of Wittgenstein, as seen with the logical positivists for instance, was partly because of the failure to view the man and his work within their appropriate historical setting. That context, which Robert Musil refers to as 'Kakania', was one of a decaying and backward-looking autocracy. Here, a significant chasm had developed between reality and the way it was depicted in language and other forms. Wittgenstein's critique of language was preceded and paralleled by similar puritan-revolutionaries in fields such as art (Kokoschka) and architecture (Loos).

Undoubtedly, this was a difficult read. But, as I mentioned earlier, it was a worthwhile one. I'm certain there is a great deal that I overlooked or failed to fully absorb. Nevertheless, I do have the sense that I now have a better understanding of Wittgenstein's overall project and how it emerged from a specific time and place.

If, like me, you suffer from insomnia, and Ambien has failed to bring you the much-needed rest, and Trazodone has also proven ineffective, and Sonata has not worked its magic either, perhaps you'll be inclined to give this book a try.

However, this book has what can only be described as "the true scholastic stink." The authors seem to have an insatiable appetite for redundancy. They don't just state something once; instead, they feel the need to repeat it five times, and with each repetition, they pile on additional adverbs and adjectives. As if adverbs alone can add authority and precision! Ha ha.

The subject matter of the book does pique my interest and is relevant to my work. I had high hopes of gleaning some valuable knowledge about this particular time period. But alas, I find myself unable to wade through the inept prose. It's truly a pity because a competent editor could have easily transformed this book into a sleek and engaging exploration of the authors' hypotheses. But it appears that good editors are in short supply these days.

This is an extremely engrossing and highly original account of the scientific and cultural life in late-Habsburg Vienna. It is so captivating that it is hard to put down, even when the concepts presented are particularly tricky.

The authors' central idea is that the philosophy of Wittgenstein, in both its early and late forms, has been misconstrued as it has been viewed through the prism of the British analytic tradition. Instead, Wittgenstein is better understood as a quintessential pre-WWI Viennese, deeply preoccupied with themes such as integrity in a world rife with falsehoods and the challenge of distinguishing "facts" from "values." Since the Viennese world that nourished his thinking vanished in the great European cataclysm, his Tractatus, which was never an easy read even in the best of circumstances, could be appropriated by Bertrand Russell and the Vienna Circle in ways that both puzzled and infuriated Wittgenstein himself.

What truly makes this book remarkable, however, is that it weaves together nearly all the intellectual strands of Viennese life in a compelling manner. It documents how artists like Klimt, architects like Adolph Loos, musicians like Schönberg and von Hofmannsthal, and physicists like Hertz and Boltzmann all influenced one another and had to grapple with the strange situation of living in a decadent, multinational monarchy with a sluggish bureaucracy and a corrupt press. The great European city that gave birth to both modern German racist nationalism and Zionism more or less simultaneously reveals itself, not surprisingly, to be full of fascinating contradictions and thought-provoking parallels to our own era.

A attempt to show how Wittgenstein's ideas emerged in continuity with the cultural, artistic, and even architectural demands of the Vienna of Musil, Freud, Kraus, Einstein, Loos...

In a certain sense, it is a reversal of Kenny, who sees continuity between the Tractatus and the Philosophical Investigations, in the sense that the latter would continue the position of the former. For Janik and Toulmin, it is the Investigations that clarify Wittgenstein's position, and the Tractatus would be important only for what it indicates (ethics, the mystical) and not for what it says.

In this way, Wittgenstein is a thinker who inserts himself into a line that includes Kant, Schopenhauer, and Kierkegaard rather than being the beacon of the new positivism (which in fact he denied wanting to be). Although one must also understand Wittgenstein's thought in continuity with his contemporaries Mach, Hertz, Boltzmann, and Mauthner.

A complex and fascinating book that does not benefit in the Italian edition from an extremely compact layout. The reading thus becomes even more difficult...

This is a truly fabulous book that presents Wittgenstein and the Tractatus in the context of fin-de-siecle Vienna.

It explores the fascinating connection between the philosopher and the cultural and intellectual milieu of that time.

The author delves into the ideas and themes of the Tractatus, showing how they were influenced by the events and ideas of the era.

This conjunction is essential as it provides a deeper understanding of Wittgenstein's work and its significance.

Readers will be captivated by the vivid descriptions of Vienna and the engaging analysis of Wittgenstein's philosophy.

The book offers a unique perspective on a crucial period in intellectual history and is a must-read for anyone interested in philosophy, Viennese culture, or the intersection of the two.

It is a well-written and thought-provoking work that will leave a lasting impression on its readers.

If you have ever been to Vienna, or are planning to go, then I highly recommend this book.

It offers a unique and fascinating perspective on the city.

The book delves into the story of Vienna from the viewpoint of the great scientists and philosophers who were there before and after the First World War.

These individuals played a crucial role in shaping the intellectual and cultural landscape of the city during that time.

By exploring their lives and ideas, we can gain a deeper understanding of Vienna's rich history and heritage.

The author presents a vivid and detailed account of the city's transformation, from its辉煌的 past to its present-day status as a vibrant and cosmopolitan metropolis.

Whether you are a history buff or simply interested in learning more about Vienna, this book is a must-read.

It will transport you back in time and allow you to experience the city through the eyes of some of its most remarkable inhabitants.

Wittgenstein is a name that looms large on the landscape of twentieth-century philosophy.

One day I’ll get around to actually reading his work. For now though, I’m still dancing around the edges. I’ve written about Logicomix before as a creative introduction to the mathematical and philosophical scene in which Wittgenstein appeared.

About a year ago, that led me to an excellent biography on Wittgenstein. This latest book on the philosopher, which had come up several times before in references to Wittgenstein, I found at a university library used book sale. I grabbed it immediately, possibly uttering a small shriek of excitement.

Wittgenstein’s Vienna is a cultural and social contextualization of Wittgenstein’s work. The authors are unapologetic that their study is interdisciplinary and not well-suited to the lens of professional philosophy that would view Wittgenstein’s work in terms of the development of analytical philosophy alone.

Rather, they say it’s essential to understand the context in which Wittgenstein wrote, the final days of the Habsburg Empire and its capital Vienna just before the Great War.

By examining the culture of the period, they claim Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus as a similar cultural artifact, a philosophical response to this environment. Instead of being a groundwork for analytical philosophy as perceived by the Logical Positivists, Wittgenstein meant the Tractatus to rigorously define the boundary between facts and values.

Critically, this was not to exclude values from the realm of importance but rather to protect ethics and all that was truly important in the human experience from the encroachment of logic.

For the authors, Wittgenstein’s work is primarily a cultural, philosophical, and even artistic response to his social environment similar to that of Adolf Loos in architecture.

It will be (and has been) misunderstood without this broader context. As an example of an interdisciplinary study, Wittgenstein’s Vienna is wonderful. It takes a real problem and offers an answer grounded in a full-bodied exploration of that man’s time and context.

My complaint is that though the arguments are compelling and a pleasure to read, and though the authors make Habsburg Vienna come to life and illuminate many things, they tend to let a general zeitgeist form the mode of connection between all this and Wittgenstein.

A stronger argument would have connected the dots more firmly, including perhaps more of Wittgenstein’s correspondence and biographical links between him and the key cultural players, Kraus in particular.

The work is multifaceted and branched off into lots of interesting side-trails along the way of contextualizing Wittgenstein and his work. There were, for instance, arguments related to the birth of modernism, particularly modern architecture.

The authors claim that the architecture of Loos was a revolt against ostentation and ornament for its own sake, but once this mode was established, its minimalism became a new orthodoxy.

This work is compelling because it mixes together so many disciplines. Whether or not you’ve heard of Wittgenstein, if you’re interested in various fields such as the history of philosophy, Habsburg Europe, cultural history, art history, or social criticism, there’s something in here for you.

Good books have lots of doors that open outward; this one is full of them.

I do not precisely remember when I read this work. I assume it was subsequent to reading his book "Human Understanding". I do recall having a great affection for this work, despite the fact that it has faced criticism. It intrigued me as it placed Wittgenstein within a rich cultural framework that I was not truly familiar with, even though I had studied Austrian history.

I regarded it as popular history, although perhaps it is not. There are proficient historians who do not have a favorable view of Wittgenstein and who refrain from discussing him in the context of Viennese history, despite writing about the numerous individuals involved in this work.

When I read this book, I felt that I had a much deeper understanding of Wittgenstein and his endeavors than before. I have not revisited or reviewed this book for a long time. To write a fair review, I would need to reread it in comparison to other works that I read subsequently.

It is somewhat of a surprise to me, but this may be one of my favorite works of philosophy. The reason is simple. Wittgenstein's Vienna studies the thought of a particular individual not just on its apparent ground, but also, and perhaps more fundamentally, within the context of the culture and history in which it arose. This is something that should be done with many of the thinkers and artists of the past, but Wittgenstein in particular almost demands this treatment.

The proof of this is shown in how much he has been misunderstood.

Let me give an example. "A whole generation of disciples was able to take Wittgenstein as a positivist, because he has something of enormous importance in common with the positivists: he draws the line between what we can speak about and what we must remain silent about just as they do. The difference is only that they have nothing to be silent about. Positivism holds - and this is the essence - that what we can speak about is all that matters in life. Wittgenstein passionately believes that all that really matters in human life is precisely what, in his view, we must remain silent about!" - Paul Engelmann.

I think it has more to do with my stance than some great intellect or anything. My initial reading of the Tractatus, which in detail I barely understood upon first reading, is in fact what Wittgenstein had intended, and precisely what many smarter and more famous individuals than myself had completely misunderstood. The last section of the book, which people like Russell thought was a sort of throwaway addendum, is in fact the very heart of the matter. And W's later work (touched on in the posthumous Discourses) is not so much a departure from his earlier thought as a clarification about language, which does throw a serious curveball in regard to the demarcation between that-which-can-be-spoken and that-which-must-be-passed-over-in-silence.

In other words, the Tractutus is essentially not a work on logic and language, but rather a work on ethics/value/meaning. This thesis is presented very well in Janik and Toulmin's book, and their methodology is such that it wound up being one of the central books in our first investigation of myth, "The Immanence of Myth." (Weaponized.)