A Beginner's Guide to the Later Philosophy of Wittgenstein

Seventeen Lectures and Dialogues on the Philosophical Investigations

Peter Hacker author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Anthem Press

Published:2nd Apr '24

£24.95

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A Beginner's Guide to the Later Philosophy of Wittgenstein cover

This book unlocks the profound world of Wittgenstein in an intellectually stimulating and provocative style.

In this Beginner’s Guide, Peter Hacker, the leading authority on the philosophy of Wittgenstein and author of a dozen books on his work, introduces the later philosophy of Wittgenstein to those with an enquiring mind. It selects an array of topics that will capture the interest of all educated readers: the nature of language and linguistic meaning, the analysis of necessity and its roots in convention, the relation of thought and language, the nature of the mind and its relation to behavior, self-consciousness, and knowledge of other minds. No philosophical knowledge is presupposed – only curiosity and a willingness to shed prejudices. Written in a laid-back colloquial style and interspersed by dialogues between the author and questioners, the book is amusing and entertaining to read. Nothing comparable to this exists in the literature on Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein’s ideas are presented in all their profundity for the widest possible audience, in a style that is intellectually stimulating and provocative.

“This is an introduction to one of the greatest philosophers, Wittgenstein, written by the leading ex-pert on him, Hacker. It doesn’t get much better than that. Buy it, read it, learn from it how to do phi-losophy.”— Dr. Edward Kanterian, University of Kent


“For decades, Peter Hacker has been a forceful interpreter and expositor of Wittgenstein’s later work. Now he presents this work in a series of introductory lectures and dialogues that are as entertaining as they are instructive and that will serve as an excellent guide for those encountering the work for the first time.” — Adrian W. Moore, Professor, University of Oxford


“Only those with profound and thorough knowledge of a subject can present it to beginners with the clarity, intelligibility, and charm needed, without compromising subtlety and sophistication. Peter Hacker has been a pole of reference for decades for Wittgenstein’s philosophy and, with this book, he continues to educate, enlighten, and entice not only beginners but anyone interested in Wittgenstein’s masterful work.” — Vasso Kindi, Professor of Philosophy at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, Dept. of History and Philosophy of Science


“A beautifully lucid and philosophically stimulating introduction from the world’s leading authority on Wittgenstein.” — John Cottingham, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Reading

ISBN: 9781839991141

Dimensions: 229mm x 153mm x 26mm

Weight: 454g

326 pages