- Paperback: 204 pages
- Publisher: State University of New York Press (31 July 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0791442020
- ISBN-13: 978-0791442029
- Product Dimensions: 2.3 x 1.5 x 0.1 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,372,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
An imaginative and exciting exposition of themes from Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, this book helps readers find their way around the "forest of remarks" that make up this classic. Chapters on language, mind, color, number, God, value, and philosophy develop a major theme: that there are various kinds of language use-a variety philosophy needs to look at but tends to overlook.
About the Author
William H. Brenner is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Old Dominion University. He is the translator, with John F. Holley, of Joachim Schulte's Wittgenstein: An Introduction, also published by SUNY Press, and the aansfr of Logic and Philosophy: An Integrated Introduction.
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5 reviews
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
not very good
14 Jun 2002
Format:Paperback
I bought this book on the strength of Cora Diamond's blurb on the back cover. I was very disappointed. Especially in his discussion of rule following, Brenner does not so much explain the relevant ideas as he paraphrases them. (An example: in his discussion of sections 206-223, Brenner imagines someone asking "suppose different people respond in diffferent ways to the same order. Who is right?" He answers, "if there is an established practice among these people then the right way will mean the customary way." The answer is a direct paraphrase of the text around section 201. But simply paraphrasing or extracting from the text gets us nowhere. If you already understand Wittgenstein, you will understand this remark. If not you won't. Either way, it won't much help.) Brenner's discussion of the private language argument is better. But there's still _much_ better expository material available.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
don't bother
20 Mar 2007
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was hoping to get an overview of Wittgenstein's philosophical investigations - this is not it. According to the introduction, Wittgenstein is considered very hard to understand and the author is going to prove that his writings were actually coherent. Then he takes us on a confused trip through the works. The author gives a zillion footnotes back into W's papers and quotes from them at length. I didn't feel there was a synthesis of W's work, more of a confused roadmap. If you're a Wittgenstein junkie then you might find this book useful. I felt like I was reading a grad student's research paper. If you're a student of philosophy looking to understand what Wittgenstein is all about, then this is not the book for you.
3 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Just exactly what was the point?
13 May 2006
Format:Paperback
WPI Review
Of all the exegesis on Wittgenstein's work, this one suffers the greatest lack of clarity. Anyone who wishes to understand Wittgenstein should steer clear of Brenner's work. Speaking from an experienced vista (a student in Brenner's class) the material covered in Brenner's WPI and his course at ODU is unnecessarily difficult to understand. The combination of irrelevant commentary from other sources and awkward language makes this book one for the recycling pile. The review on the back by Cora Diamond would lead one to believe this work offers some kind of insight that cannot be obtained elsewhere. I would advise the reader to continue looking.
As other readers who left comments suggest, this book is a lackluster example of Wittgenstein. If you are interested in learning about Wittgenstein there are other sources with a mainstream analysis availble. This book tends to be vaguely written and isn't devoid of making presumptuous claims that cannot be substanitiated. In other words, the work is largely composed of opinion that is not in correspondence with the major scholars of Wittgenstein.
Of all the exegesis on Wittgenstein's work, this one suffers the greatest lack of clarity. Anyone who wishes to understand Wittgenstein should steer clear of Brenner's work. Speaking from an experienced vista (a student in Brenner's class) the material covered in Brenner's WPI and his course at ODU is unnecessarily difficult to understand. The combination of irrelevant commentary from other sources and awkward language makes this book one for the recycling pile. The review on the back by Cora Diamond would lead one to believe this work offers some kind of insight that cannot be obtained elsewhere. I would advise the reader to continue looking.
As other readers who left comments suggest, this book is a lackluster example of Wittgenstein. If you are interested in learning about Wittgenstein there are other sources with a mainstream analysis availble. This book tends to be vaguely written and isn't devoid of making presumptuous claims that cannot be substanitiated. In other words, the work is largely composed of opinion that is not in correspondence with the major scholars of Wittgenstein.
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