Amazing, that the origins of philosophy (VII-VI century BC) are associated with this question: "What is the arche of the world?" "Arche" - principles of becoming; beginning. What was before the world? Tales identified the arche of the world with one of the elements - water. Xenophanes - with the earth. Anaximenes - from the air. According to Anaximander "arche of the world" is the primordial matter, qualitatively undifferentiated, infinite quantity: infinity = apeiron (theory supported by the mean). Heraclitus identified the arche of the world with fire (a symbol of continuous change). Later, Empedocles and his cosmic forces of love (power of edifying) and hatred (the destructive force). Anaxagoras and his concept: arche of the world is an infinite number of elementary quality. Later the atoms of Democritus. Aristotle and the layout of the four causes: material (lumber), formal (future form), motive (the builders), intentional (intention, for example, giving a block shape). Epicurus commuted determinism: everything is determined by the addition of our decisions. The concept of the Stoics - the source of movement, life, change is divine pneuma. Later medieval materialism, modern materialism… And so on and so forth. I sincerely urge you to familiarize yourself with philosophical thinking.
I still remember, when the first year of study we had to write a paper (based on the literature of course) from the subject "Current trends of philosophy". Work was to have the title "Knowledge, science, philosophy, according to…" …..according to selected contemporary philosopher. Any place relationships. By convention, the date is a year of contemporary beginning in 1830 (from Fichte). I thought it would be hard for me to decide to whom to write. Locke? Russell? Kierkegaard? Husserl? Scheller? Ingarden? Hartmann? Heidegger? Heavy selection.
Reading about logical positivism (neopositivism), the representativeness of the school of philosophy, I found the name of a philosopher whom I did not know yet. Ludwig Wittgenstein. His biography engulfed me. He was amazing. Both in logic and philosophy of language, as well as in private life. And so handsome;) I was fascinated him. Although I read that Wittgenstein was secretly gay. Born in 1889, and April 26. In Vienna. In one of the richest families in Austria (his father, Karl, led the music room, where, among others frequented Brahms, Gustav Mahler, Clara Schumann, Richard Strauss, Bruno Walter). Study in Berlin (mechanics), Manchester (aeronautical studies), a disciple of Russell. Visits to Norway (for a time to accompany him there, GE Moore). Before the outbreak of World War I, Ludwig gave a large fortune inherited from his father. Substantially supported financially poet Rainer Maria Rilke and Georg Trakl, whose work in high esteem. Service soldier. Wittgenstein, he volunteered for the army. Went to war. Allocated to it (together with G. Trakl) to Krakow. Assigned as a gunner for the patrol ship "Goplana" which sailed down the Vistula river between Sandomierz and Zator. When G. Trakl died after overdosing on drugs, it was a shock to Wittgenstein... Elementary school teacher. Gardener abbey. Professor, University of Cambridge. After retiring Wittgeinstein went to Ireland, where he lived in an isolated country home. Died on 29 April 1951 in Cambridge for prostate cancer, his doctor in the house. Yes, I want to write about Wittgenstein. I've decided.
The work of Wittgenstein called Tractatus logico-philosophicus (1921) made him "godfather" of logical positivism, was the inspiration for the Vienna Circle - the precursor of logical positivism. Became the basis for deliberations at the Vienna Circle, although Wittgenstein was never a member (and even spoke negatively about the program). In Tractatus Wittgeinstein dealing mainly with the problem of thinking over the world. Especially the relation between language and depicted reality. He believed that language greatly influences the human knowledge. In this way, you can not learn something that is not expressible in it. "What we can not speak about we must remain silent". The world is generally the facts. The fact is the existence of the status quo. The sentence is a logical picture of the fact. Consequently: between the structure of sentences and the structure of the fact there is a strict suitability. Hence, a metaphysical thesis: it is only that which can be summarized in a sentence. "The limits of my language mean the limits of my world". The boundaries of language are the boundaries of the world. The author noted that attempted to cross the boundaries of the previous philosophy, which is why most theses and questions on matters philosophical, Wittgeinstein considers to be ridiculous. Metaphysical statements. Therefore -his opinion- the first task of philosophy should be a logical analysis that leads all the sentences of elementary sentences. They will represent only the elementary facts. Sentencing philosophy, or to silence, or at the absurdity, Wittgeinstein thought that finally solved the problems of philosophy. The author of the Tractatus did not carry out any analysis of any speech - is it reasonable, or metaphysical. He did not give answers that sentences considered elementary, and how to extract the basic facts. Nevertheless, this work is amazing. In 1929, Wittgenstein made to the Tractatus logico-philosophicus as a doctoral thesis, and after earning his doctorate at Cambridge remained.
Then, for nearly 10 years Wittgeinstein was not concerned with philosophy. Only in the years 1930-1951 writing his second of the most important works: Philosophical Investigations (the second Wittgenstein's philosophy). Appeared for the first time in 1953 in England, after the death of the philosopher. It has been prepared for publication by the executors of Wittgenstein (Elizabeth Anscombe, Rush Rheesa and Georg von Wright).
In Philosophical Investigations author retains the basic concept of his philosophy ("Philosophy is a battle with the possession of our minds by means of our language"). However, profoundly changes the view of the nature of language. The Tractatus language was for Wittgeinsteina consistent formal system, which may be combined in a logical rule. The ...Investigations language is unsurpassed multitude "language games", which usually consists of the human "way of life". Specific expression causes a specific reaction which is its meaning. In fact, we are not dealing with language, but languages. A logically primary in relation to them (including the scientific language) is the language of everyday life. That's what language we use depends on the situation. True - if you use the language correctly. False - if the language used incorrectly. Language games form a family. The game rules allow for many possible use of the phrase. Wittgeinstein writes that a major source of our misunderstanding is the lack of a clear overview of how to use our words. "Our lack of transparency of grammar". Therefore, the philosopher, if he wants to remove the problems of everyday language use, should -through analysis- play "family" use of the expression, relevant from the point of view of philosophy. Bringing this problem to disappear. "Unravel the conceptual confusion".
Both philosophies (in Tractatus... and ...Investigations ) Wittgeinstein not defined: as a theory, which provides knowledge, but as an activity aiming to eliminate confusion of language. It's just that in the Tractatus logico-philosophicus achieved once and for all clear was to lead to the disappearance of philosophy. In the sense Philosophical Investigations of clarity can not be achieved once and for all. As you come and change our language games, there are also philosophical and change the source of confusion.
Whew... I am full of admiration for Wittgeinstein, how he managed to sort out all these issues in his head.
The philosopher was also the author: Notebooks 1914-1916 (fragments), A Lecture on Ethics, Lectures on Religious Belief, Über Gewißheit (about sure), The Blue and Brown Books. Preliminary Studies for the "Philosophical Investigations", and others.
It's all in a huge nutshell. I don't want to introduce linguistic confusion:) I know English too little. My dream is to travel to New York. There, I certainly would quickly learned to real English:) Oh, the dream…
I encourage you to read Ludwig Wittgeinstein and other thinkers throughout history.
P.S. I sacrificed my thesis of love, namely: The essence of love in terms of Karol Wojtyla, and Dietrich von Hildebrand. The value of love is powerful.
