Essays in the Unknown Wittgenstein

"Wittgensteinwascapableofprofoundinsightsintoacademic，reasonedphilosophy，insightsthatcanleadtotheexplanationofitscentralenigma：theintrinsicirresolvabilityofitsdisagreementswhichattachestoeveryoneofitsclaims...Therecanbenoroomfordoubtthathismindwasinconflictwithitself，thatthetraditionalalthoughextraordinarilyoriginalthinkerwasinconflictwiththeiconoclasticthinker.Thisperhapsisonereasonwhyheneverdevelopedhisinsights，andwhyhescatteredthemsothinlyinhislaterwritings，wheretheylieconcealedlikeuncutdiamondsonapebbledbeach."--fromtheForewordMorrisLazerowitzandAliceAmbrose，inthisimportantbook，attempttouncoverandmakecleartheinsightsembeddedinWittgenstein'slaterworkthat，sofar，havenotreceivedthecriticalattentiontheydeserve.Theseinsights，onceunderstood，canhavegreatexplanatorypowerforphilosophyandmakeitpossibletolookatconventionalphilosophywithanewunderstanding.Thesixteenoriginalessayspresentedhere，twelveofwhichhaveneverbeenpublishedbefore，discussWittgenstein'sworkaftertheNotebooks，1914-1916.TheauthorsbringtolightthethoughtsbehindWittgenstein'softencrypticremarksonthe"linguisticunmaskingofphilosophicalutterances."Thetopicsdiscussedincludenecessityandphilosophy，linguisticsolipsism，Bouwsma'sParadox，theflybottle，empiricism，beingandexistence，mathematicalproof，thephilosopheranddaydreaming，amongothers.