On Wittgenstein’s ‘Tractatus’

<p>When Wittgenstein published his <em>Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus </em>in 1921, he claimed to have solved all philosophical problems. One problem that hasn’t been solved though is how best to translate this notoriously difficult work. The expiry of the book’s copyright in 2021 has brought three new English translations in less than a year, each grappling with the difficulties posed by a philosopher who frequently undermined his own use of language to demonstrate the limitations of what can be represented. Adrian Moore joins Malin Hay to discuss what Wittgenstein hoped to achieve with the only work he published in his lifetime and to consider how much we should trust his assertion that everything it contains is nonsensical.</p><br><p>Find further reading and listening on the episode page: <a href="https://lrb.me/tractatuspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/tractatuspod</a></p><br><p><strong>LRB Audio</strong></p><p>Discover the LRB's subscription podcast,<strong> </strong><em>Close Readings</em>, and audiobooks: <a href="https://lrb.me/audiopod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/audiopod</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

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