A brief note on Wittgenstein.

 

Wittgenstein in 1929 photograph in public domain Wikipedia

My appreciation of this philosopher was enhanced even more by the recent publication of his Private Notebooks: 1914-1916. These both precede and anticipate the Tractatus, showing its origins to lie in the author’s moral and religious struggles within his immediate family circle, as well as the great upheavals in Central European culture preceding the First World War.

Of course it would be foolish to propose the entirety of Wittgenstein’s later writings are utterly informed -or even worse- defined by these notes. Nevertheless it is true to say that these early notes definitely owe more to  Dostoevsky and Tolstoy’s The Gospel in Brief than to any amount of post-Hegelian philosophies.

There have been interpretations of Wittgenstein directly inspired by his musings about, and reverence for, Das Mystisch. D Z Phillips, for instance, was a noted philosopher of religion who supposed prayer to be a sort of contemplative language game. Nevertheless Philips did not suppose that religion, religious experience, or faith were keys to unlock the complexities of Wittgenstein’s philosophical musings.

As far as I can understand, since the Philosophical Investigations, Wittgenstein's philosophical stance became radically pluralist. Investigations itself is a plural word, just like the word “games" as in language games. This seminal book was not published during his lifetime. It was rather compiled from a series of Bemerkungen remarks or notes (again note the plural) that were sometimes dictated to students. To some extent his investigations remind me of William James’ project for a radical empiricism in A Pluralistic Universe of 1909 or the Essays in Radical Empiricism published a few years later. 

However, if there are indeed a plurality of universes how will any human thought embrace this multiplicity without reducing it to some all embracing cognitive or imaginary principle? James partially addressed this dilemma by making his God finite. There could be no absolutes for James; but rather series of pluralities -which might better be termed "infinite provinces of meaning".

I wrote this brief meditation because much contemporary philosophical activity displays a tendency to colonise disparate provinces of thought, meaning or reality. Even if there are “known unknowns”  -like the unconscious proposed by various psychoanalytic theories- it is so tempting to suppose that my version of the “unknown” is far superior to, and explanatory of, the unknown of the Others. 

Intellectual systems that aspire to colonise  concepts belonging to Others easily become repetitive, boring and dated -as well as annoying and dishonest. For Wittgenstein the remnants of world philosophical systems amounted to little more than “scraps” or leftovers. Importance lay elsewhere.

L Wittgenstein: Private Notebooks 1914-16. Translated by Perloff . Norton 2025.

Norman Malcolm Wittgenstein: A Religious Point Of View? Routledge 2017

D Z Phillips : The Concept of Prayer Routledge Revivals 2013

Alfred Schutz: On Phenomenology and Social Relations. University of Chicago Press 1999

Terry Eagleton Wittgenstein: The Terry Eagleton Script, the Derek Jarman Film BFI Publishing 1993

Diverting and Disappearing Diseases

It was a long, tedious and cold wait at the A&E department of Liverpool's Royal Hospital. A numbingly cold January day , irritated even more by not having eaten no food for three days. 

Normally I would never have chosen to go there; some of the staff on 111 were also doubtful as to whether A&E was the right place to go. Yet the last GP I consulted refused treatment and recommended attendance at A&E so this was my only option. Diverticular disease is a painful, life-restricting, and often unpredictable intestinal condition. My mother suffered with it until the age of 90.  Hailing from a generation that was deferential and submissive to medical professionals, she obediently attended intrusive and painful intestinal examinations into the last year of her life. Always the results were the same: inconclusive. Moreover these procedures demanded fasting with medicines that induced diarrhoea until the bowel was as empty as possible, to permit internal examination with a variety of surgical instruments.

The condition is a family trait. As well as my mother and myself, a cousin suffers too. This  suffering that has been in my family for a few generations is caused as much by medical interventions, as by an already disabling disease. The old fashioned way of treating this illness has almost disappeared from the modern health service, but it was certainly effective. After bloods, questioning, and physical checks, nurses or GPs would often prescribe a strong antibiotic. The inflamed bowel would respond well so that within a few days the patient was free to resume his or her normal life.

The “flare” I experienced began shortly after January 1st 2026. By January 5th intestinal agony was so intense that I had to miss the funeral of a most valued friend and could not even walk. In order to get myself to the local A and E, for three days I fasted from all food so as to reduce diarrhoea, internal bleeding, and the pain that prevented me from moving. 

After seven hours wait at A&E bloods showed the three day fast had cured everything. A junior doctor then offered advice about high and low carb diets (which never work for me).

If there is any moral to this tale it might be: do not present yourself for treatment at A&E if you have successfully reduced the pain of your symptoms!!

By and large 111 is a far better option. You will get to speak with real people before going to A&E or being recommended to a local treatment centre. Alternatively you can buy a suitable antibiotic from an online pharmacy.

The next Uk Diverticular Awareness Week is 5-11th October 2026 https://gutscharity.org.uk/awareness/awareness-dates/diverticular-disease/