Wittgenstein in Polish Galicia

A deeply researched account of Wittgensteins wartime experiences and reading during 1914-1917, revealing numerous previously unknown yet vital details about his work on the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Delving into Wittgensteins recently-published in English wartime private diaries, Urszula Idziak-Smoczynska offers unique insight into a pivotal period in Wittgensteins life, when he completed his ground-breaking work in logic and underwent a profound spiritual transformation that left an indelible mark on his future and his philosophical evolution. She reconstructs the young Wittgensteins state of mind as he grappled with the challenges imposed by war. Tracing the roots of Wittgensteins spiritual sensibilities to works like William James The Varieties of Religious Experience, Saint Augustines Confessions, and Nietzsches writings, Idziak-Smoczynska explores his relationships with key figures of Austrian modernity, including Georg Trakl, Rainer Maria Rilke, L. von Ficker, and Adolf Loos. As Wittgenstein actively participated in significant offensives on the Eastern Front, including Dankls offensive, the Brusilov offensive, and the Kerensky offensive of Revolutionary Russia, we enter into a compelling dialogue with the influential literary and philosophical works that shaped his thinking in such close proximity to the battlefield: the Bible, novels by Keller, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky. This important exploration of Wittgensteins formative years is essential reading, shedding light on Wittgensteins philosophical journey and highlighting his role in a broader contextas one of the major intellectuals and artists who struggled in the First World War and went on to shape the postwar scientific and artistic landscape