Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

[Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Wittgenstein, Ludwig. New York: Cosimo Classics. 2009. 109 pages. ISBN: 978-1-61640-237-2]

From The Back Cover:

Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) was hugely influential on 20th-century philosophy, and here in his manuscript, he constructs a series of carefully and precisely numbered propositions on the relationship between language, logic, and reality, using a numbering system to show nested relationships between the propositions.

Considered one of the major recent works of philosophy - a reputation enhanced, undoubtedly, by Bertrand Russell's glowing introduction - this edition is a reproduction of the translation by C.K. Ogden, first published in 1922, for which Wittgenstein himself assisted in the preparation of the English-language manuscript. 

Students of philosophy and those fascinated by the history of ideas will want a copy of this essential volume.

From The Introduction:

In order to understand Mr. Wittgenstein's book, it is necessary to realize what is the problem with which he is concerned. In the part of his theory which deals with Symbolism he is concerned with the conditions which would have to be fulfilled by a logically perfect language. There are various problems as regards language. First, there is the problem what actually occurs in our minds when we use language with the intention of meaning something by it; this problem belongs to psychology. Secondly, there is the problem as to what is the relation subsisting between thoughts, words, or sentences, and that which they refer to or mean; this problem belongs to epistemology. Thirdly, there is the problem of using sentences so as to convey truth rather than falsehood; this belongs to the special sciences dealing with the subject-matter of the sentences in question. Fourthly, there is the question: what relation must one fact (such as a sentence) have to another in order to be capable of being a symbol for that other? this last is a logical question, and is the one with which Mr. Wittgenstein is concerned.

Reader Commentary:

The book is a hard read. It would be helpful if the reader has some background in graduate level philosophy and mathematics. It took this reader six separate readings to get a really firm grasp on what Wittgenstein was trying to say.  Yes, it was that difficult! Considering the complexity of Wittgenstein's writing, the book is worthwhile and should be read and re-read by serious students of the philosophy of ideas. On the difficulty scale of 1-10, with 10 being severely difficult, this book is a 7.