Wittgenstein

Sir Anthony Kenny was formerly Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Oxford University, Master of Balliol College, Oxford and Warden of Rhodes House, Oxford. He was also President of the British Academy, Chairman of the Board of the British Library and a Trustee of Wittgenstein’s copyrights. He is the author or editor of more than 30 books, including The Wittgenstein Reader (Second Edition, 2006), A Brief History of Western Philosophy (1998) and The Legacy of Wittgenstein (1984), all published by Blackwell.

'Kenny's book remains the best general introduction to Wittgenstein’s work as a whole. Careful, clear, persistent in its pursuit of puzzles, but always stylish and accessible, it will take even a beginner deep into the most difficult issues raised by Wittgenstein’s texts, while still being helpful and provocative to advanced students and scholars.'--Michael Morris, University of Sussex '…Sir Anthony’s remains the most useful critical introduction to Wittgenstein’s life and thought. The updated introduction is more than welcome. Among students and, especially, teachers of Wittgenstein, the long-awaited re-release of this classic is cause for celebration.'--Richard Kortum, East Tennessee State University

• Preface viiAbbreviations in References to Works by Wittgenstein ixIntroduction to the Revised Edition xi1 Biographical Sketch of Wittgenstein’s Philosophy 12 The Legacy of Frege and Russell 153 The Criticism of Principia 354 The Picture Theory of the Proposition 445 The Metaphysics of Logical Atomism 586 The Dismantling of Logical Atomism 827 Anticipation, Intentionality and Verification 968 Understanding, Thinking and Meaning 1119 Language-Games 12610 Private Languages 14111 On Scepticism and Certainty 16012 The Continuity of Wittgenstein’s Philosophy 173Suggestions for Further Reading 184Index 186