Ludwig Wittgenstein's philosophical work can be divided into two key periods, each with distinct concepts: - Early Wittgenstein and the Tractatus:
- Wittgenstein's early work, primarily represented by the "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus," focused on the logical relationship between language and the world. He proposed that the structure of language dictates the limits of what can be meaningfully said. This involves the idea that language can express facts about the world but cannot articulate what lies outside this scope, such as metaphysical, ethical, or aesthetic propositions.
- The main point of the Tractatus is the distinction between what can be expressed in propositions (language) and what can only be shown, implying that there are limits to language and thus to philosophy.
- Later Wittgenstein and the Philosophical Investigations:
- In his later work, Philosophical Investigations, Wittgenstein critiques his earlier views and introduces the concept of "language games." He argues that the meaning of words is derived from their usage within particular contexts or "games." This represents a shift from viewing language as a rigid logical structure to seeing it as a fluid element of social interaction.
- He suggests that philosophical problems arise when language is abstracted from its context and seeks to dissolve these problems by bringing language back to its ordinary usage.
- Wittgenstein also emphasized the notion that the bewitchments in philosophical discourse stem from words being taken out of their normal contexts and placed into a metaphysical one, where they lose their usual meaning.[1][2][3][4][5]

• 1889-04-26Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein was born in Vienna at 8:30 PM in the "Villa Wittgenstein".
• 1913Wittgenstein inherited a fortune from his father, Karl Otto Clemens Wittgenstein.
• 1921Wittgenstein's only book published during his lifetime, the Logisch-Philosophische Abhandlung (Logical-Philosophical Treatise), appeared.