I have been contemplating a post about Wittgenstein, now that his name has been freed from exile, and in reading (and thinking) about him over the last couple weeks, I have frequently encountered and contemplated a well-known anecdote from his life in the 1920s, in the period after the publication of the Tractatus. A real post will hopefully come out of this (tentative title: “Ludwig Wittgenstein, couples’ counselor”), but it reminds me, in an oblique way, of some of the conversations we have had around here lately, so I thought I would share it now.
Ludwig’s family was never a happy one, and his life had never really been either, but in the 20s he seemed to spiral out of control. It was during this time that his mother died, after which he refused his substantial inheritance. He was fired from his job as a teacher for striking a student so hard that it knocked him out cold, for the crime of answering a question incorrectly. Unemployed, aimless, and listless, he contemplated suicide (one of several times during his life when he experienced suicidal ideation), took odd jobs (as a gardener, e.g.), and seemed determined to make everyone around him as miserable as he. He thought seriously of becoming a monk.
Ludwig’s sister Gretl was at this time preparing to design and build a large mansion in their hometown of Vienna, and had employed local architect and family friend, Paul Engelmann, along with the Czech architect and designer Jacques Groag for the job. In order to help him out of his rut, and undoubtedly believing that with two professionals on the job he couldn’t get into too much trouble, she suggested to Ludwig that he help with the design as well.
Ludwig, being Ludwig, dove headfirst into the project, even referring to himself as “Ludwig Wittgenstein, Architekt.” In no time he managed to infuriate everyone, becoming major headache for both Engelmann, with whom he’d been friends since the war, and Groag in particular. The latter wrote of his experience with Wittgenstein, “I come home very depressed with a headache after a day of the worst quarrels, disputes, vexations, and this happens often. Mostly between me and Wittgenstein.” The level of precision Wittgenstein demanded, which would have surprised no one who had read his book, was simply overwhelming to those who had to work with him. He spent a year on the door handles. A year. On door handles.
Which brings me to the anecdote I meant to share. As they neared the completion of the home, Wittgenstein became concerned that one of the ceilings was too low and, after much arguing, had it raised at great expense and effort and, I’m quite certain, annoyance. How much did the ceiling with which he was obsessed, which he demanded be torn out and then lifted, delaying the completion of the years-long project, need to be raised?
3 cm (1.18 in).
How do we know that Wittgenstein’s name has been freed from exile and not some other word that happens to be spelled the same?Report
Thanks for posting this! Anyone who is interested in Wittgenstein, Ray Monk’s biography of him is just great. He comes off just as he does in this anecdote (which I don’t remember from the bio) as overprecise, controlling ass, but fascinating one. Monk’s 2-volume biography of Bertrand Russell is even better, I think.Report
I second the recommendation of Monk’s biography.
I’m working my way through the Investigations while reading Malcolm’s biography, which is also very good in its own way (Malcolm loved the man), and thinking about his personality while reading that confusing collection has been a really interesting experience.Report
Malcolm and Monk? I didn’t realize Wittgenstein had so much influence on 2000’s TV.Report
And you don’t get to Seinfeld without Sartre.Report
I was thinking of “Sartre, Life Coach” to go along with “Wittgenstein, Couples’ Counselor.”Report
@chris I would like to read both of those posts please. Also, whether you’d want to write a post or not, what would Camus’ job title be, d’you think?Report
Camus would be a suicide hotline counselor, obviously!
Though he’d be all new age-y, encouraging everyone to find the invincible summer inside themselves.
(The basic idea, which might fit in one post with both Wittgenstein and Sartre, and maybe some other folks as well, is philosophy as therapy. Which, given my use of it as a means of escapism, is not that much of a stretch.)Report
http://existentialcomics.com/comic/41Report
http://existentialcomics.com/comic/30Report
That one sort of gets at where I’m coming from, actually, in the contrast between Carnap et al. and Camus.
Though I’d include Goodman in my philosophy as therapy camp, particularly if we’re talking Ways of Worldmaking or even Languages of Art Goodman.
Also, people should read Ways of Worldmaking.Report
The contrast is explained in the very last sentence of the “Didn’t Get The Joke?” link there.Report
Right. I would add to his explanation that, whatever the opposite of sexy is, Carnap is that.Report
@chris that Camus quote helped get me through my roughest time of the last 15 years or so. And given my favorite essay of all time, now that you’ve pointed it out, it seems like a blindingly obvious choice of jobs!
Hope you work around to writing the post some day soon.Report
It’s a wonderful essay.
Remember the old Windows screensaver that was just text you could type yourself? I used to use that quote as my screensaver.Report
Mine was “This screen intentionally left blank.”Report
Yes, no, maybe.
I don’t know.Report
Malcolm and Monk? I didn’t realize Wittgenstein had so much influence on 2000’s TV.Report
Did you ever read The World as I Found It?
http://www.nybooks.com/books/imprints/classics/the-world-as-i-found-it/Report
Yes. And that gives me the opportunity to embed this:
View on YouTubeReport
Which gives me an opportunity to link to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUvf3fOmTTkReport
Awesome.Report
You can read the whole Camus essay that Maribou and I were referencing here, though unfortunately in white text on a black background. The quote we were referencing — “In the middle of winter I at last discovered that there was in me an invincible summer” — occurs at the end of the 4th to last paragraph.
Here it is in the original Surrender Monkey language.Report
Huh. Reminds me of the story of another Ludwig, this one Boltzmann, 30-40 years earlier.
Famous for his enthusiasm in teaching, conflicts over his work combined with his apparent bipolar disorder eventually drove him to suicide.Report
Must be a Vienna thing.Report
I was not aware that Wittgenstein was one of those things that we could not talk about and had to pass over in silence…
Glad the topic is reopened though!Report
Thanks for writing this Chris. Couple of things struck me. One is I know a super-smart guy – PhD in physics from Stanford, IT world-saver smartest guy in the room type – who designed his own home, currently under construction. He’s made electricians move already-installed light switches/boxes because they were an 1/8th of an inch off spec. He’s had carpenters remove, cut down and rebuild already built and installed cabinets because they extended 1/2 and inch past spec. The list goes on and on. He then complains to the subs that he’s running out of money even tho they bid the work within budget…. People!!!
The other is that on the river trip I was just on we spent half an hour discussing LVW’s theory of language around the campfire deep in a desert canyon one night at camp. Which is sorta bizarre if you think about it, but pretty dang cool, too.
More LVW posts please!Report
LOL. Luckily my friend the braniac isn’t quite that crazy. He just manages to pull off the impossible…Report
Ask your friend how long he spent on the door handles.
Also, sounds like a pretty nice camping trip.
While I’m thinking about it, here’s one more Wittgenstein link, Russell on Wittgenstein:
View on YouTubeReport