September 13th, 2023
Wittgenstein in Norway: A Philosophical Journey
September 13th, 2023
The Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) is recognised as one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century. He played a key role in turning philosophical thinking in a more language-centric direction by investigating the relationship between thought, language and reality. One of his main works, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, was partly written during one of his frequent visits to Skjolden in Western Norway. Here he found the peace of mind he needed to think and write.
Wittgenstein’s Relevance Today
We as humans have a desire to turn to other humans’ deep thinking to seek orientation in our modern confusion. Every year, dedicated admirers make the pilgrimage to Norway solely to get a sense of why Wittgenstein kept returning to this remote cabin, which he placed on a steep mountainside overlooking the turquoise Eidevatnet lake. Wittgenstein wandered in these beautiful natural fjord and mountain landscapes to get clarity over his logical thinking. Now, people have made Wittgeinstein’s cabin a pilgrimage site to seek clarity of thought. It is said that Wittgenstein’s cognitive semantics research has served as a foundation for today’s artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, such as ChatGTP. That makes him more relevant than ever.