Wittgenstein: Philosophy in a Time of Airplanes - Review

Ludwig Wittgenstein: Philosophy in the Age of Airplanes

Author: Anthony Gottlieb

Date: 2025

Publisher: Yale University Press

ISBN: 9780300180473

pp. 209  hbk

What is to be done about Wittgenstein? The austere Viennese philosopher (1889 – 1951) continues to bemuse, beguile and baffle our fickle 21^st Century thought and mores. It is questionable whether the master of linguistic philosophy could ever be described as ‘popular’ yet if anyone were to gain him that dubious epithet it would be Anthony Gottlieb in this highly readable biography. It comes in a series of ‘Jewish Lives’ that explores ‘the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present’ so our analytical sage finds himself rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mel Brooks and Groucho Marx (the other Marx is there too) – which I think would have pleased him, with his well known penchant for Hollywood B-films and serial pulp crime fiction. Perhaps because of this Gottlieb tends to play a little ‘to the gallery’ so that all the (in-)famous biographical incidents are here which lovers of Wittgenstein will have enjoyed in the magisterial earlier biographies of Ray Monk and Brian McGuinness from thirty years ago. Although there is very little that is new here (apart from references to the soon-to-be-published late correspondence with his pupil and lover, Ben Richards), Gottlieb is to be commended for the way he organises and presents such a broad amount of material. For those who have not kept up with Wittgensteinian scholarship (and hagiography) these past few years this will act as a timely resumé. Like many recent biographies, such as the late Alexander Waugh’s, there is a tendency to overplay Ludwig’s eccentricity and his family squabbles and scandals at the expense of in-depth analysis of his philosophy (unlike, say, earlier biographers such as Monk and McGuinness). So, if you want to hear (too much perhaps) about Ludwig’s love life and personal neuroses you will love this book. If, on the other hand, you want a primer in his philosophy I suggest supplementing your read with, say, the excellent introductions from the late lamented Anthony Kenny or Fergus Kerr. Which brings me to my last question: How might a reading of Wittgenstein’s life and philosophy be of interest to those 'pursuing the soul' in this day and age? Well, as a recent memorial conference at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford  to celebrate the life and contribution of Fr Fergus Kerr OP to Christian life in this country demonstrated, Wittgenstein has an uncanny ability to ‘get under the skin’ of those seeking meaning in our disconnected and fragmented ‘postmodern world’. The philosopher may not have all the answers, but as a sincere seeker looking for truth in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and, in the words of his last confessor Fr Conrad Pepler OP, ‘probably finding it in the end’, he remains a remarkable inspiration and help to many. So, do read this book, especially if Ludwig is new to you, but do supplement it with a work such as Kerr’s classic ‘Theology after Wittgenstein’ to understand why, as a philosopher, Wittgenstein remains as relevant to life and practice today as he did during his own lifetime – ‘the time of airplanes’ – which happens to be our time too.