Springer have made a range of philosophy books available free online including many works on Wittgenstein.
Year: 2015 (page 1 of 2)
The Nordic Wittgenstein Review has published a new issue: Vol. 4, No. 2, (2015). It is available Open Access, i.e. free of charge, online, for anyone to read.
The Freud Museum presents Wittgenstein’s Dream, an exhibition of work by Gavin Turk and the latest in a critically acclaimed series curated by James Putnam. Turk’s installation and intervention in Freud’s former residence investigates the intriguing conceptual dialogue between two enlightened Viennese thinkers of the 20th century, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951).
Booking for the Eighth British Wittgenstein Society Annual Conference booking is now open.
Eighth British Wittgenstein Society Annual Conference on the theme of Wittgenstein, Ethics and Religion
The Conference will take place at Hinsley Hall, 62 Headingley Lane, Leeds, LS6 2BX, beginning at 09:30 on Tuesday 6th September and finish at 18:00 on Wednesday 7th September 2016.
Last Booking Date for this Event
23rd August 2016
List of speakers:
Sophie-Grace Chappell (Open University)
Gabriel Citron (Toronto)
John Haldane (St Andrews)
Stephen Mulhall (Oxford)
Wayne Proudfoot (Columbia)
Duncan Richter (Virginia M.I.)
Genia Schönbaumsfeld (Southampton)
Michael Scott (Manchester)
Chon Tejedor (Hertfordshire)
Rowan Williams (Cambridge)
The BWS is delighted to announce that the new second edition of Portraits of Wittgenstein published by Bloomsbury this month in hardback and e-version.
With portraits from more than seventy-five figures, Portraits of Wittgenstein brings together the personal recollections of philosophers, students, friends and acquaintances, including Bertrand Russell, G. E. Moore, F. R. Leavis, A. J. Ayer, Karl Popper, Friedrich von Hayek, G. H. von Wright, Rush Rhees, Freeman Dyson, G. E. M. Anscombe, Iris Murdoch, Mary Midgley, Mary Warnock and many more.
Now revised and updated, Portraits of Wittgenstein includes new selections, revised contributions, photographs and maps that provide historical context to Wittgenstein's relationships with his intellectual and social circle. This collection of valuable and hard-to-find material is an indispensable resource for scholars and students of the life and work of Ludwig Wittgenstein.
With 1138 pages, in two volumes, and a hugely complex permissions history, the new edition is inevitably expensive but Bloomsbury are offering a 50 % discount exclusively to BWS members. Details are available to registered members here. The BWS encourages its members to ask their institutional libraries to buy a copy.
Co-editor and BWS Secretary, Ian Ground commented: “It has been hard work but still a pleasure and a privilege for Berry Flowers and I to bring this new edition to press. We hope that the volumes will find their place as a standard point of reference for Wittgenstein studies. We owe immense thanks to the Bloomsbury Academic Press who have done a fantastic job in supporting us in our editorial work and in bringing such high production values to the volumes themselves. ”
BWS President Daniele Moyal-Sharrock added: “As Wittgenstein was fond of pointing out, context is indispensable to meaning. This extraordinary collection adds living context to Wittgenstein's thought, thereby facilitating and enhancing its grasp. It is a biographical as well as a philosophical gem."
Advance praise for the new edition
“I have made constant use of this multi-volume collection of reminiscences about Wittgenstein since its original publication in 1999. This new and expanded edition adds several insightful pieces, including a detailed report on Wittgenstein's visit to Cornell in 1949. Endlessly fascinating!” – James C. Klagge, Professor of Philosophy, Virginia Tech, USA and Author of 'Wittgenstein in Exile.'
“Portraits of Wittgenstein is a comprehensive collection of recollections and memoirs of the greatest philosopher of the twentieth century. It is a mesmerising array of snapshots of a fascinating and charismatic thinker, which will give delight to many readers, and provides indispensable raw materials for reflections on Wittgenstein and his role in his troubled times and the relevance of his thought to ours.” – Peter Hacker, Professor of Philosophy, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK.
“In bringing together such a large collection of memoirs of Wittgenstein - many hard to find in their original publications - the editors of this two-volume set perform an inestimable service to scholars of the philosopher, whether their interest is simply in biographical details or if they wish to contextualise his philosophy. The original of this publication has been of great service to me over the years in understanding the life and work of Wittgenstein, and I fully expect this expanded edition to fill a similar role.” – Jonathan Smith, Archivist, Trinity College Library Cambridge, University of Cambridge, UK.
“Portraits of Wittgenstein is an invaluable cornucopia of biographical materials - from chronologies to records of teaching, from diary extracts to reminiscences. These newly updated volumes richly frame the extraordinary life of one of the twentieth-century's greatest philosophers as well as the receding horizon of his own time.” – David Stern, Professor of Philosophy, Univerity of Iowa, USA.
See more at: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/portraits-of-wittgenstein-9781474260190/#sthash.qcp5QQ6L.dpuf
As BWS members will know, Wittgenstein’s grave, in Ascension Parish Burial Ground in Cambridge, is marked by a plain and simple ledger stone with only his name and dates. It is a beautiful tranquil spot though not too easy to find. A video showing the way to the location is available here.
THE ENTRANCE SIGN TO THE BURIAL GROUND
THE LANE TO THE BURIAL GROUND
Even so, according to the parish, the grave receives more than hundred visitors a year. The burial ground contains the graves of many other famous figures from Cambridge (see the listing) some of whom have connections of various kinds with Wittgenstein including, Sir James Frazer, G.E.Moore, John Wisdom and of course Elisabeth Anscombe. Wittgenstein’s grave remains the most frequently asked for and visited site.
The Society was aware that the ledger stone was beginning to look stained, the stone tarnished and the lettering beginning to wear with a danger of becoming illegible. Several reports from BWS members in the summer of 2014 confirmed our determination to take action.
WITTGENSTEIN'S LEDGER STONE SHOWING DETERIORATION (CREDIT: ERIC MARLAND)
BWS secretary, Dr. Ian Ground, was asked to investigate and identity options for conservation. After initial inquiries with the Parish an initial report was commissioned from the Parish Stonemason.
The stonemason at the burial ground - Mr Eric Marland studied art restoration at the City and Guilds of London Art School before training with David Kindersley, who was a pupil of Eric Gill. Over the years he has guided many hundreds of visitors to Wittgenstein’s ledgerstone and has assiduously collected and stored the varied tokens often left there by visitors. One visitor from Vienna left him a rather special gift – a floor tile from the Wittgenstein Family house on Vienna's Alleegasse rescued as the building was demolished.
Floor tile from the Wittgenstein Family house on Vienna's Alleegasse
After close examination, Mr Marland concluded that the ledger stone, being made of sandstone, rather than limestone, is relatively impervious to erosion by acidic rain. However the shaded location of the grave means that is it vulnerable to staining by berry-eating birds and lichen too tends to get a hold which can endanger the lettering. It was recommended that specialist cleaning of the ledger stone be carried out to remove the bird and lichen stains and to return the appearance of the sandstone.
Cleaning the Ledger stone
The Society then contacted Wittgenstein’s next of kin, the Stonborough family to advise them of the options and to seek their views on the way forward. Mr William Stonborough was the point of contact for the family and was kept fully informed of all developments by Dr. Ground.
A first and sensitively conducted professional cleaning took place and the result was much closer to the stone as it was originally intended.
THE CLEANED LEDGER STONE WITH THE ANSCOMBE/GEACH STONE AT THE UPPER LEFT.
The initial cleaning revealed traces showing that the lettering on the ledger stone was originally picked out in black.
THE LETTERING AFTER CLEANING OF THE SANDSTONE REVEALING TRACES OF THE ORIGINAL BLACK PAINT
A CLOSER VIEW OF THE LETTERING AFTER CLEANING OF THE SANDSTONE WITH TRACES OF THE ORIGINAL BLACK PAINT CLEARLY VISIBLE.
The nearby and recently restored lettering on the stone to Elizabeth Anscombe, to which has been added the name of her husband Peter Geach gives a good impression of how Wittgenstein’s ledger stone would originally have appeared.
THE RECENTLY RESTORED AND REPAINTED ANSCOMBE AND GEACH LEDGER STONE
Repainting the Lettering
The next step was to determine whether, in order to preserve the lettering and to return to the ledge stone to its intended appearance, it was necessary to repaint the letters in the original black. The stonemason’s report concluded that the work was necessary and the family gave their permission and support for the work to be carried out.
The repainting in a matt enamel black was carried out on 17th and 18th June, 2015. The process took nearly 8 hours in total.
CAREFUL AND PAINSTAKING REPAINTING
REPAINTING LW DATES
One thing that became more evident in the repainting was the imprecision of some of the original lettering by Barry Pink (Oxford art student, lodger with Anscombe and a friend of Wittgenstein’s - see Monk, R., 1991. Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius, pp. 567-8)
Though the repainting might have been used to ameliorate some of the imprecision, it was decided that such a course would not be consistent with the requirements of conservation.
THE REPAINTING HALFWAY THROUGH THE PROCESS CLEARLY SHOWING THE MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN LEGIBILITY
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LW Grave Pre-Restoration |
 LW LEDGERSTONE AFTER CLEANING AND REPAINTING OF THE LETTERING |
The ledger stone restored. The iron urn is not thought original but is used by visitors to leave flowers and tokens. It has now been moved off the stone itself and the area of the stone underneath the urn cleaned.
Recording and Interpreting the event
As well as BWS Secretary, Dr. Ground is currently Teaching Fellow at the Fine Art Department Newcastle University. His view was that “Given his central philosophical concerns, the repainting of the letters in Wittgenstein name seem an appropriate occasion for both historical recording and creative interpretation"
MR ERIC MARLAND WITH ARTIST TOM HUME AND THE ANIMA COLLECTIVE (DITTE GOARD, CHARLOTE CHARLOTTE VALETTA, JAYNE DENT, SARAH GRUNDY)
With the aid of a generous grant from the Newcastle Institute for Creative Arts Practice, Dr. Ground took 5 artists from Newcastle University’s Fine Art Department to Cambridge for the restoration. One student, Tom Hume, whose creative work has drawn on Wittgensteins texts, created a digital film record of Mr Marland’s painstaking work.
RECORDING THE REPAINTING FOR DOCUMENTARY RECORD AND CREATIVE INTERPRETATION
At the commencement of the work, the four piece Anima Collective (Ditte Goard, Charlote Charlotte Valetta, Jayne Dent, Sarah Grundy) performed a vocal piece based on Wittgensteinian themes of speech and silence. The resultant videos and images will be made available via the BWS website. While Tom Hume will be basing a new artwork on the digital video record, Dr. Ground’s intention is to make the raw footage available for creative interpretation by other artists. Expect more news on this soon.
On behalf of Wittgenstein’s family, William Stonborough told the Society:
"I would like to extend my thanks and those of my family to Dr. Ground, the BWS and their members for their initiative and generosity in making the restoration and continuing upkeep of the grave possible. The images show a great improvement to when I last visited Ascension Parish prior to the restoration, and I look forward to visiting again when I return to the UK to see the result myself”
The Future
We are delighted to report that, with the full support and thanks of the family and the generous support of some BWS donors, a fund is now in place to carry out maintenance and careful cleaning of the ledger stone on an annual basis for the foreseeable future. This will maintain the stone in better condition and forestall any further deterioration. In addition, simple signs indicating the way to Wittgenstein ledgerstone have been commissioned.
Restoring the appearance of any grave stone is a sensitive matter - that of a figure such as Ludwig Wittgenstein especially so - but we hope that BWS members will be pleased that with the full support of the family, informed by professional advice, the surface of Wittgenstein’s ledger stone has been saved from further deterioration, the lettering made legible, and its maintenance placed on a sustainable basis.
The Society believes that this work will mean that in this quiet corner of Cambridge, Wittgenstein’s grave will continue to provide a place of reflection for very many students, scholars and visitors in future.
The Society would like to extend its thanks to everyone who assisted with this project to restore the ledger stone: Dr. Ground, the Rev Dr Janet Bunker, Eric Marland, William Stonborough, Ray Monk and BWS donors, Peter Hacker and Dennis Patterson.
BWS SECRETARY DR IAN GROUND & STONEMASON MR. ERIC MARLAND
The New York Times has a section called the Stone which features the writing of contemporary philosophers and other thinkers on issues both timely and timeless. The series moderator is Simon Critchley who teaches philosophy at The New School for Social Research in New York. September's blog carried an item on Frank Cioffi and Wittgenstein.
Professor Paul Standish (Philosophy of Education, UCL) preparing to give the British Wittgenstein Lecture at the Leavis Society Conference in Downing College Cambridge, on 24 September. The title of the lecture, in which Professor Standish drew attention to the many commonalities between Wittgenstein and Leavis, was: 'Absolute pitch and exquisite rightness of tone'.
By the end of 2015, new facsimiles of most of the Nachlass from the Wren Library at Trinity College will be online at the Wittgenstein Archives at the University of Bergen, including: Wittgenstein: Lectures, Cambridge 1930-1933, From the Notes of G. E Moore Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2016).
"We are happy to announce that a significant part of the new high quality Wittgenstein Nachlass facsimile edition is already online. This includes such prominent items as the Big Typescript, the Brown Book and the Lecture on Ethics. The Wittgenstein Archives at the University of Bergen (WAB), in co-operation with Trinity College Cambridge and the Stanhill Foundation, is producing a new Nachlass facsimile of Wittgenstein originals, which are freely available online on WAB's Wittgenstein Source site. By the end of 2015, new facsimiles of most of the Nachlass from the Wren Library at Trinity College will be on the site, as well as facsimiles of the Nachlass from the Austrian National Library in Vienna. Plans for future additions include Nachlass facsimiles from the Bodleian Library in Oxford as well as the Russell Archives in Ontario. In addition to the facsimile edition, Wittgenstein Source will also host updated text editions and archival and text-genetic descriptions of the single Nachlass items.
Wittgenstein Source also hosts its first Wittgenstein primary source that is not part of the Wittgenstein Nachlass in the strict sense of the term: facsimiles of six of G.E. Moore's notebooks, containing his almost verbatim record of Wittgenstein's classes, Cambridge, 1930-1933. Also included are facsimiles of Moore’s later summaries of his lecture notes, and a 1932 essay by Moore critiquing Wittgenstein's conception of grammar. This edition is provided by David G. Stern, Brian Rogers, and Gabriel Citron. The facsimiles are reproduced by kind permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library, Perry Moore, and Thomas Baldwin. They were purchased thanks to a Franklin Research Grant from the American Philosophical Society and a grant from the University of Iowa Arts & Humanities Initiative. The three editors have also produced a book edition of these materials: Wittgenstein: Lectures, Cambridge 1930-1933, From the Notes of G. E Moore Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2016)."
