Hitler and Wittgenstein were born about a week apart and went to the same Technical School in Linz, although they were in different school years. Also, I recollect a suggestion in a book "Wittgenstein's Poker" that Wittgenstein may have gone to Germany after acquiring the safety of British citizenship to bribe the safety of his sisters. I am curious to know more because this might help understand Wittgenstein's philosophical thought better.
2006-06-14 06:03:58 · 3 answers · asked by Philosophical Fred 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
In response to Thomas P, you've been given duff information for your A level. Wittgenstein came to England before the First World War, studying at Manchester and then Cambridge. In the 1920s, he was a school teacher in Austria but he returned to Cambridge in 1929 for philosophical reasons to do the work that resulted in the Philosophical Investigations. So he was not hounded out by the Nazis, he came to England before they came to power (this much you can get in Ray Monk;s biography "Wittgenstein"). Of course he was antagonistic to the crudities of Nazi philosophy.
2006-06-14 07:12:08 · update #1
It's kind of integral to Wittgenstein's work that knowing his background won't actually help you understand it - it's about the absolutes of logic and rationality not the contingencies of someone's life.
Sorry and all that but there aren't any short cuts to getting to grips with Wittgenstein. However, it is worth the effort. Not for nothing has it been said that he solved all the problems of philosophy - twice !
2006-06-14 23:38:01 · answer #1 · answered by beb 3 · 4⤊ 1⤋
As far as we were told in our Philosophy A-level lessons and through other reading, Wittgenstein was actively hounded from Germany by the Nazis and sought refuge in Britain. He was a devount anti-facist and a suspected closet communist. I can see how some of his theories of word ply and misconception could be applied to the Nazis but thats about all i know
2006-06-14 06:53:01 · answer #2 · answered by thomas p 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Very little. I am more than willing to learn. There are people still alive that can help. Maybe search them out. this is the kind of History that could be lost. keep me posted
2006-06-14 10:44:37 · answer #3 · answered by thecharleslloyd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋