Wittgenstein in 90 Minutes

By: Paul Strathern

Narrated by: Robert Whitfield

Length: 1 hr and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

"If we accept Wittgenstein's word for it," Paul Strathern writes, "he is the last philosopher. In his view, philosophy in the traditional sense was finished."

In Wittgenstein in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Wittgenstein's life and ideas and explains their influence on man's struggle to understand his existence in the world.

©1996 Paul Strathern (P)2003 Blackstone Audiobooks

Best of what there is. Bring out David Markson

David Markson Wittgenstein's Mistress won awards, and is an important read for modern lit. It and Broom of the System showed what's up w/Wittgenstein

An tough job for a 90-minute book

If you are looking for some deep insight into Wittgenstein, this is not the place to find it. However, as with all of Strathern's books, the weaving of Wittgestein's life with his philosophy gives us a fascinating snapshot of the man. Take some of Strathern's categorical statements with a grain of salt: sometimes (in the name of conservation of space, perhaps) glib statements can turn a complicated piece of Wittgenstein's thought into a muddy generality. Because it is not possible to to get close to the significance of Wittgenstein's thought in 90 minutes, the best introduction to Wittgenstein might be to brave the chilling intellectual waters and dive into the Tractatus firsthand, perhaps with a copy of Hans-Johann Glock's Wittgenstein Dictionary (from Blackwell) close at hand to prevent mental hypothermia. A look at some introductions to his work by D.F Pears or Anthony Kenny will undoubtedly help. Despite these cautions, I recommend this book, which is well read by Robert Whitfield.

Excellent

A great chronicle of a troubled genius. The book was really good, and the narration excellent

In 90 Minutes Series overview

If you could sum up Wittgenstein in 90 Minutes in three words, what would they be?
aka Cliff Notes

Would you recommend Wittgenstein in 90 Minutes to your friends? Why or why not?
Yes - I've listened to each book in the series about a major philosopher that is available on Audible. Strathern's books don't have the analytical depth found in Will Durant's "The Story of Philosophy" books, but he does a good job summarizing each philosopher's biography, major philosophical points, and criticisms. Additionally, Strathern's breadth is broader than Durant's in that he covers a greater number of philosophers. I believe that the time spent listening to these books has been well-spent.

My reviews for each book in the series about a philosopher are identical.

What about Robert Whitfield’s performance did you like?
Voice is clear, well-modulated, and easily understood, even at 1 1/2 speed.

Good intro for the laymen

I read some of the 1-star reviews seemingly written by experts, and I'd like to give a super layman's point of view.

Leveling my impression and theirs, I think perhaps these 90 Minute bios are like Wikipedia, a good conceptual intro to a subject, but not a definitive text. To be fair, someone who wants a definitive text isn't going to read a 80-page / 90-minute bio and call it the day. I see this as a thin paperback someone would grab from the airport - that's probably what it is - and pass the time.

A second fair point, it is probably hard to write a bio in 80 pages. What would you include? You'd necessarily have to leave out a lot, and you don't have time to explain technical details in depth for the reader to understand. So rather than write a dry book that nobody will understand, you have to try to be entertaining and stick to high-level human concepts that wouldn't lose a casual reader - the sort like me.

A third fair point, this is the author's book, and as a writer, he can write about whatever he wants.

I had no idea who this dude was, Wittgenstein, just a funny name. I'm not a student of philosophy. I'm not a student of any sort. I'm just curious about this thing called philosophy and want to see what it's all about, these apparently great people and names that mean nothing to me. My takeaway from the book is that this guy had a crazy personality, his lifestyle, how he was received by everyone around him, and his major life events. I think that's a pretty good job for a bio in 80 pages!

I find that these 90-minute bios allow me to quickly decide whether I want to read about somebody's work. I've finished a handful of these bios by the same author by now, first one I finished two years ago and led me to finish a few full books by the person the bio was about. I think that's a positive result, probably the result intended!

I also now know about a handful of these random people, what ther names are, what country they were from, what century they lived in, who influenced their work, what they were trying to philosophize about. I personally benefited a lot.

So what if I don't have an accurate understanding about all 10 philosophers I've ever heard of? I probably never will and never need to. This author gave me an easy way to access a field that has nothing to do with my career, that I picked up by curiosity, and the listening experience was entertaining.

It would be unfair to evaluate an 80 page book and compare it to a, say, 400 or even 1000 page formal bio. I wouldn't have picked up a 400 page bio to pass the time. I would have gone to read something in 400 pages much more interesting than dry philosophy and proofs and theory and bio.

These quick intros have been efficient and informative for me. If I want to read a more definitive text, I will do that. If not, having read this book still made me less ignorant than I was before. So I think in all fairness, it is a success for what it intends to be.

Weak discussion of Wittgenstein’s contribution to philosophy

Even for being an introduction to Wittgenstein, this audiobook entirely fails to properly discuss why it is that Wittgenstein is the seminal figure in twentieth century philosophy.

whew, the OPINIONS

nicely written again from this Paul Strathern character, but WOW (again) is it just way too overly opinionated to be a good overview of Wittgenstein. his gawl damned OPINIONS make it sort of more fun than it would be otherwise, as his snark comes with real wit, ..... but DAMMIT it does NOT make for a great overview of a great mind's being and doings ..... this one's better than his crapping all over Hegel tho.

Loves it

I’ve listen to all the 90 min and this one is just great. Intellectual and funny. I found myself really enjoying this one.

Peak of irony and a wasted tortured life

Well documented and punctuated by the irreconcilable statements of an iconic mind with perhaps a bit of tongue in cheek to bring wit into Wittgenstein.

what a personality, a view and a life if I can nam

e it.
I have appreciated Wittgenstein 's philosophy and anecdotes amazing before. the listening of 90 min capsule size summary is not only enjoyable, but broadening and deepening of my appreciations. the performance is perfect for the materials as well