Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein
- Born:
- April 26, 1889, Vienna, Austria-Hungary
- Died:
- April 29, 1951, Cambridge, England
- Nationality:
- Austrian (later British)
- Profession(s):
- Philosopher, Logician, Mathematician, Architect
Early Life and Education
- Born into a wealthy and influential Viennese family.
- Initially home-schooled before attending Realschule in Linz (where Adolf Hitler was a contemporary).
- Studied mechanical engineering at the Technische Hochschule in Berlin.
- Developed an interest in the foundations of mathematics and logic, leading him to study with Bertrand Russell at Cambridge.
Career and Major Achievements
- Served in the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I.
- Wrote Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus during the war, published in 1921.
- After the war, he worked as a schoolteacher and gardener.
- Returned to Cambridge in 1929, becoming a lecturer and later a professor.
- Developed a significantly different philosophical approach in his later years, documented in Philosophical Investigations.
- Made significant contributions to the philosophy of language, mind, and mathematics.
Notable Works
- Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1921)
- Philosophical Investigations (published posthumously, 1953)
- On Certainty (published posthumously, 1969)
- Remarks on the Foundations of Mathematics (published posthumously, 1956)
- Worked as architect for his sister, Gretl Stonborough, designing Haus Wittgenstein in Vienna.
Legacy and Impact
Ludwig Wittgenstein is considered one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. His work profoundly influenced analytic philosophy and continues to be studied and debated widely. Many scholars find value in researching a 'ludwig wittgenstein biography pdf' to quickly gather key details of his life and thought.