Wittgenstein is one of the most influential philosophers in the 20th century. His research fields are mainly philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of spirit and philosophy of language. He studied under Russell, a famous British writer and philosopher. Wittgenstein's books are famous for their obscurity. The core of his philosophical thought is: unspeakable beauty.
For people who are frustrated repeatedly in reality, his thoughts are like a long drought. He is good at paragraph writing, and his works are short and pithy, much like the style of the philosopher Nietzsche. So, what themes does Wittgenstein's philosophy include?
The first theme-suffering and nothingness In the book Culture and Value, Wittgenstein believes that all kinds of suffering can be seen everywhere in the world, and the greatest suffering of mankind is the loss of self. An empty life will produce a sense of nothingness, which in turn will produce pain. If we are sure that life itself is meaningful, then we can endure all the sufferings.
The second theme-the meaning of the world is unspeakable. Although it can't be said, it can be shown in life. Wittgenstein believes that the world is a collection of all things, and even concepts outside the world are part of the world. The world exists in thinking, and people cannot solve problems without thinking.
Wittgenstein's thought is very similar to China's Zen thought of "teaching others, not making statements". They all advocate that anything that can be expressed in words or language will weaken or distort the inner intention to a certain extent. Although the meaning of the world cannot be expressed in words, it will appear in life.
When you put the information you know together, the meaning will appear, and that's the way it is. Once spoken in words, it will be distorted. People want to find a way out in language, only to find that they can only find more confusion in the end. Therefore, Wittgenstein argues that people must remain silent where they can't speak.
The Third Theme: Death, Eternity and Time and Space In On Logical Philosophy, Wittgenstein believes that the world is mysterious when it is viewed as a whole from an eternal perspective. If eternity does not refer to the infinite continuation of time, but only to eternity, then living in the present is living in eternity.
Wittgenstein believes that people live in time and space, and the answer to the mystery of life must be outside time and space. Life is a difficult mystery for everyone. Some people think that the immortal soul can solve all the problems in life. Wittgenstein believes that this is for the purpose of means. Only when people live in the present can the present become eternal. At this time, our life is down-to-earth, and we can truly live with peace of mind and not be bound by time.