The Wartime Roots of Wittgenstein’s Logic: Review of Urszula Idziak‑Smoczyńska’s Book
Book review: Urszula Idziak‑Smoczyńska, Wittgenstein in Polish Galicia. The Life and Thought behind the Tractatus Logico‑Philosophicus, London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2026, 297 pp.
Abstract
The content of the book Wittgenstein in Polish Galicia is skillfully, even intricately, woven around Wittgenstein’s personal notes, mainly from the years 1914‑1917. Chapter 1 is entitled “The Movement of Thought. The Parable. The Apostle – Wittgenstein’s Underestimated Idioms,” while Chapter 2 has the title “MS 101: The First War Notebook 9.08.1914 to 30.10.1914.” Chapter 3 deals with “MS 102: The Second War Notebook 30.10.1914 to 22.6.1915,” and Chapter 4 addresses “MS 103: The Third War Notebook 28.3.16 to 10.1.1917.” Finally, there is an Epilogue. Given its subject matter, Idziak‑Smoczyńska’s choice of such a structure for her book turns out to be highly appropriate for several reasons.
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