Author(s): Ludwig Wittgenstein

Philosophy

In the present edition. Damion Searls has given us a literary translation of the Tractatus that finally does Wittgenstein's enigmatic masterpiece justice…. Wittgenstein's concise statements begin to make more sense, and the text becomes much more accessible, without sacrificing at any point, Wittgenstein's meaning. Indeed, Searls has been astonishingly conscientious in looking up every reference, every possible source of a particular verbal locution. I take this new translation to be a milestone, not just for the community of Wittgenstein students or translation theorists, but for the larger public that has become increasingly interested in the work of this great philosopher-one whose aphorisms are increasingly recognized as poetic koans as well as elements of philosophical analysis.