Morethanacenturyafteritscomposition,TractatusLogico-Philosophicus--Wittgenstein’sfirstmasterwork,andtheonlybookhepublishedduringhislifetime--enduresasthedefinitivemoderntextonwhatlogiccanandcannotdo.SinceitsfirstEnglish-languagepublicationin1922,thisprofoundlyenigmaticworkhasinspiredphilosophersandnon-philosophersalike.Consistingof525hierarchicallynumberedstatements,eachone“self-evident,“TractatusLogico-Philosophicusisimbued,astranslatorDamionSearlswrites,withthekindofcrypticgrandeurandawe-inspiringopacitywemightexpect--mightwant--fromsuchaniconicphilosopher.Yetearliertranslations,intheireffortstoexcessivelycopyGermanphrasingandsyntax,rangefromstilted,evenredolentlyVictorian,todownrightimpenetrable.Withthisnewtranslationandinsightfulintroductiononthelanguageofthebook,SearlsfinallydoesjusticetoWittgenstein’smasterpiece,capturingthefluidandforcefulproseoftheoriginalwithoutsacrificinganyofitsphilosophicalrigor.Indeed,infreeingthetranslationfromthegripoftheGermanlanguage--revisiting,especially,thenounsandimpersonalverbsthatdon’tconveyinEnglishtheprecisionandintensityoftheGerman--SearlsrendersWittgenstein’sphilosophyclearerandmoreaccessiblethaneverbefore.FeaturingaprefacebyeminentWittgensteinscholarMarjoriePerloff,thisbilingual,facing-pageeditionpromisestobecomethestandardforgenerationstocome.
