In his proposal of the solution to most philosophic problems by means of a critical method of linguistic analysis, Wittgenstein sets the stage for the development of logical positivism. Introduction by Bertrand Russell.

The Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is the only book-length philosophical work by the Austrian philosopher Wittgenstein that was published during his lifetime. The project had a broad goal: to identify the relationship between language and reality.

The Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus first appeared in 1921 and was the only philosophical work that Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) published during his lifetime. Written in short, carefully numbered paragraphs of extreme compression and brilliance, it immediately convinced many of its readers and captured the imagination of all. Its chief influence, at first, was on the Logical Positivists of the 1920s and 1930s, but many other philosophers were stimulated by its philosophy of language, finding attractive, even if ultimately unsatisfactory, its view that propositions were pictures of reality. Perhaps most of all, its own author, after his return to philosophy in the late 1920s, was fascinated by its vision of an inexpressible, crystalline world of logical relationships. C.K. Ogden's translation of the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus has a unique provenance. As revealed in Letters of C.K. Ogden (1973) and in correspondence in The Times Literary Supplement, Wittgenstein, Ramsey and Moore all worked with Ogden on the translation, which had Wittgenstein's complete approval. The very name Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus was of Ogden's devising; and there is very strong feeling among philosophers that, among the differing translations of this work, Ogden's is the definitive text - and Wittgenstein's version of the English equivalent of his Logisch-Philosophische Abhandlung.

This carefully crafted ebook: "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (The original 1922 edition with an introduction by Bertram Russell)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. The Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is the only book-length philosophical work published by the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein in his lifetime. It was an ambitious project: to identify the relationship between language and reality and to define the limits of science. It is recognized as a significant philosophical work of the twentieth century. Wittgenstein wrote the notes for Tractatus while he was a soldier during World War I and completed it when a prisoner of war at Como and later Cassino in August 1918. It was first published in German in 1921 as Logisch-Philosophische Abhandlung. Tractatus was influential chiefly amongst the logical positivists of the Vienna Circle, such as Rudolf Carnap and Friedrich Waismann. Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein (1889 – 1951) was an Austrian-British philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He published few works in his lifetime, including one book review, one article, a children's dictionary, and the 75-page Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1921).

"Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus may be the most important book of philosophy written during the twentieth century. Wittgenstein's writing style is clear, succinct, and accessible. Bertrand Russell claimed that "I cannot see any point on which it is wrong. But to have constructed a theory of logic which is not at any point obviously wrong is to have achieved a work of extraordinary difficulty and importance." Required ready for anyone interested in philosophy." Wilder Publications is a green publisher. All of our books are printed to order. This reduces waste and helps us keep prices low while greatly reducing our impact on the environment.

Ludwig Wittgenstein is considered by many to be one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. He was born in Vienna to an incredibly rich family, but he gave away his inheritance and spent his life alternating between academia and various other roles, including serving as an officer during World War I and a hospital porter during World War II. When in academia Wittgenstein was taught by Bertrand Russell, and he himself taught at Cambridge. He began laying the groundwork for Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus while in the trenches, and published it after the end of the war. It has since come to be considered one of the most important works of 20th century philosophy. After publishing it, Wittgenstein concluded that it had solved all philosophical problems—so he never published another book-length work in his lifetime. The book itself is divided into a series of short, self-evident statements, followed by sub-statements elucidating on their parent statement, sub-sub-statements, and so on. These statements explore the nature of philosophy, our understanding of the world around us, and how language fits in to it all. These views later came to be known as “Logical Atomism.” This translation, while credited to C. K. Ogden, is actually mostly the work of F. P. Ramsey, one of Ogden’s students. Ramsey completed the translation when he was just 19 years of age. The translation was personally revised and approved by Wittgenstein himself, who, though he was Austrian, had spent much of his life in England. Much of the Tractatus’ meaning is complex and difficult to unpack. It is still being interpreted and explored to this day. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

This new edition of Wittgenstein’s book, strictly following the author’s recommendations, allows a more immediate comprehension of the text and dissolves several false problems that had deceived readers and scholars for a century. The faithful interpretation of decimal numbers (which alone, according to Wittgenstein, “give perspicuity and clarity to the book”) shows that the Tractatus stems from a home-page containing seven cardinal propositions and develops level by level, by perfectly coherent reading units. Indeed, “the Tractatus must be read in accordance with the numbering system, and that demands that the reader follow the text after the manner of a logical tree, which is the way in which the book was composed and in which Wittgenstein arranged his philosophical remarks” (Peter Hacker, The Philosophical Quarterly). Thence, the Tractatus is no longer an obstacle course, where critics and students were strenuously committed to decipher anacolutes, semantic jumps and bizarre combinations. On the contrary, it reveals to be, at long last, a book that every reader, from her own point of view, can enjoy. The actual form of Wittgenstein’s work discloses the harmony and the aesthetic value of a philosophical text that is contemporary and is one of the most amazing masterpieces of world literature.

Perhaps the most important work of philosophy written in the twentieth century, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus was the only philosophical work that Ludwig Wittgenstein published during his lifetime. Written in short, carefully numbered paragraphs of extreme brilliance, it captured the imagination of a generation of philosophers. For Wittgenstein, logic was something we use to conquer a reality which is in itself both elusive and unobtainable. He famously summarized the book in the following words: 'What can be said at all can be said clearly; and what we cannot talk about we must pass over in silence.' David Pears and Brian McGuinness received the highest praise for their meticulous translation. The work is prefaced by Bertrand Russell's original introduction to the first English edition.