This is a fantastic view on Wittgenstein's life.

Wittgenstein lived, wrote an essay, left some notes, and died.

His sister recalled playing piano in the big rich Wittgenstein household, and her brother (the man in question) being in another room, and her playing piano but not being able to concentrate because she could feel his judgment seeping into the room.

Wittgenstein scares me a little, because I see some of him in me. Not the genius or sheer intellect, don't get me wrong, I'm not conceited enough to think I'm at his level. But I always imagine his works, fine on paper, shadowed by his irl reflexive disdain for others. I'm a judgy person, and so was he (though he may have actually merited his judginess). He's always been a cautionary tale for me, not a role model.

Great musicians have such gifts.

Below is Allegri's Miserere. We can thank Mozart for having the piece. Allegri had written it for one of the Popes in the 1600s, and the vatican intended to keep it as private piece (not publish it). 150 years later, Mozart happened to hear the piece at the Vatican and wrote it out when he got home. (He didn't pass it off as his own.)

A conductor received a manuscript for a concerto in the late 1800s. (Sorry, don't remember who, specifically). A few days later the manuscript was returned to the composer, and the conductor had left town. Sometime later, the composer discovered that the piece was scheduled for performance, and he was perplexed about where the conductor had gotten the score. The composer told him, "Oh, well, I read your score and remembered it. Quite beautiful."

There are stories of pianists scheduled to perform a concerto at a concert and discovering at the last minute that the orchestra is playing it in a different key. The pianist was able to transpose the piece as he went along (playing from memory).

Most of the time I can't remember a good short joke if my life depended on it.

Wittgenstein scares me a little, because I see some of him in me. Not the genius or sheer intellect, don't get me wrong, I'm not conceited enough to think I'm at his level. But I always imagine his works, fine on paper, shadowed by his irl reflexive disdain for others. I'm a judgy person, and so was he (though he may have actually merited his judginess). He's always been a cautionary tale for me, not a role model. — csalisbury

That's interesting about his sister. I feel sorry for them, all of them. The Wittgenstein's struggled immensily with the amount of intellect they had in that family. Wittgenstein was quite close to losing his mind a couple of times if I recall correctly. He also often contemplated suicide, though I can't say if it was out of depression, rather out of disdain with himself or humanity. I feel as though most of them felt detached from humanity and others due to their wealth (which they felt uncomfortable with to some degree), upbringing, and education (most home-schooled). Most of them felt quite lonely and I suppose they couldn't find someone to fill that hole. It reverberates strongly in Ludwig Wittgenstein's writings and personality.

Some sort of inability to connect.

Wittgenstein lived, wrote an essay, left some notes, and died. — StreetlightX

But what a life!

This is a observation tree.

When he finally got to the front line, he requested that he be assigned to the observation tree. He repeatedly requested the duty, looking forward to the shelling at night. He preferred such terrifying, solitary posts.

Remarks on Frazer’s Golden Bough - Ludwig Wittgenstein

I always liked the story about him, upon hearing that a young PhD student had dropped out of school after realizing he had nothing important to contribute to his field, suggesting that for that alone the young man should be given his degree.

That sounds like a play on Heidegger's brief biographical sketch of Aristotle: He was born, he worked, and he died.

I'm assuming he was trying to shield philosophy from being entirely reduced to the personal experiences of philosophers, or to explain their insights through contextual details of their historical situation. Reminds me of my old neocon teachers, who felt a strong aversion to most secondary literature on the major figures in philosophy. Thinkers like Plato and Aristotle are smarter than you, they'd say, and they'll provide you with all the relevant context you'll need.

Most of them felt quite lonely and I suppose they couldn't find someone to fill that hole. It reverberates strongly in Ludwig Wittgenstein's writings and personality. — Question

And yet, when you read those remarks on Frazer that Nils Loc posted, what comes across is a lively kind of fellow-feeling--a sympathy for human beings and a passionate defence of their practices, rather than any anguished estrangement from people. And reading just a page or so of it reminds you why the thought of philosophers interests us so much more than their lives.

:D Yep, you got it!

And yet, when you read those remarks on Frazer that Nils Loc posted, what comes across is a lively kind of fellow-feeling--a sympathy for human beings and a passionate defence of their practices, rather than any anguished estrangement from people. And reading just a page or so of it reminds you why the thought of philosophers interests us so much more than their lives. — jamalrob

Yes, he dearly loved David Pinsent. After he died he dedicated his Tractatus to him. Truly an act of a wonderful person.

It seems Wittgenstein succeeded where his siblings didn't.

The fly got out of the bottle and the ladder was thrown away after stepping above it! How Wittgenstein must have felt the need to talk to this person.

What do you think of the Remarks on Frazer's Golden Bough?

Still trying to read through it. Forgive my slowness.

No rush, Q. To be honest, I was testing to see if you were genuinely interested in his philosophy, rather than just in his life. When I was younger I would read biographies of great thinkers, including Wittgenstein, and at the time I think I assumed I wouldn't be able to tackle their actual philosophy itself. In then end I realized the biographies don't really give you much.

I'm a night type, so when the hour passes around 7 is when my intellectual capacity turns on. I'll give it a thorough read then. In the meantime here is some evidence of my interest in Wittgenstein:

http://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/560/wittgenstein-reading-group-for-the-experienced

So, I've been reading that text and have a hard time coming to any conclusion... Something about it smells of mysticism.