Ludwig Wittgenstein Quotes

Philosophy ... must not bargain away anything of the emphatic concept of truth.

Metaphysics means nothing but an unusually obstinate effort to think clearly.

He could dismiss several schools of philosophy by shifting slightly in his chair or toting his whisky glass.

Philosophy has its bugbears, as well as superstition.

In the case of Anathem, most of the research had to do with philosophy and metaphysics. Reading this sort of thing has never been my strong suit, so I actually had to be somewhat more "organized and results-driven" than is my habit. I just made up my mind that I was going to have to read some of these philosophy tomes, and I forced myself to read something like 10 pages a day until I had bashed my way through them.

See skulking Truth to her old cavern fled, Mountains of Casuistry heap'd o'er her head! Philosophy, that lean'd on Heav'n before, Shrinks to her second cause, and is no more. Physic of Metaphysic begs defence, And Metaphysic calls for aid on Sense! See Mystery to Mathematics fly!

There is philosophy, which is about conceptual analysis - about the meaning of what we say - and there is all of this ... all of life.

The need of reason is not inspired by the quest for truth but by the quest for meaning. And truth and meaning are not the same. The basic fallacy , taking precedence over all specific metaphysical fallacies, is to interpret meaning on the model of truth.

About no subject is there less philosophizing than about philosophy.

I have taught Philosophy, Religious Studies, English Literature, Cultural Studies, Writing and Publishing Studies, Critical Thinking.

Learning philosophy is learning a particular kind of intuitive understanding.

What I am trying to do is to unmuddle the metaphysical.

Metaphysics is the finding of bad reasons for what we believe upon instinct; but to find these reasons is no less an instinct.

It is right that we be concerned with the scientific probity of metaphysics.

Let us come to the philosophers, whose authority is of greater weight, and their judgment more to be relied on, because they are believed to have paid attention, not to matters of fiction, but to the investigation of the truth.

Metaphysics is a dark ocean without shores or lighthouse, strewn with many a philosophic wreck.

To me, what philosophy does best is reflect on knowledge that's generated in other areas.

The German language speaks Being, while all the others merely speak of Being.

I like Jacques Derrida; I think he's funny. I like my philosophy with a few jokes and puns. I know that that offends other philosophers; they think he's not taking things seriously, but he comes up with some marvellous puns. Why shouldn't you have a bit of fun while dealing with the deepest issues of the mind?

My purpose is to explain, not the meaning of words, but the nature of things.

Metaphysics is the science of proving what we don't understand.

Kant was probably the worst writer ever heard of on earth before Karl Marx. Some of his ideas were really quite simple, but he always managed to make them seem unintelligible. I hope he is in Hell.

Philosophy has degenerated into ideology.

Logic pervades the world; the limits of the world are also the limits of logic.