An interesting 25-minute BBC programme on Ludwig Wittgenstein, who revolutionised philosophy by not only ignoring most of it, but by declaring it impossible to resolve, and anyone who tries is wasting everyone’s time.
6.52 We feel that even when all possible scientific questions have been answered, the problems of life remain completely untouched. Of course there are then no questions left, and this itself is the answer.
- Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, 1921
Wittgenstein is, for me, the most important philosopher in the history of epistemology, simply for stating what should have been obvious, over and over, until everyone understood it. There are still raging debates over what exactly he meant by his simple statements, but I treat him like Jesus and assume he meant exactly what he said.
In unrelated news, check out that Chinese girl in the sidebar. How the hell did she get there?
