Wittgenstein’s early thinking can be traced back to two philosophers and scientists: Immanuel Kant and Karl Popper. He later came under the influence of Bertrand Russell who shared his interest in logic and his skepticism about metaphysics. As his philosophical investigations became more radical, he changed his name to Ludwig Wittenstein. His writings were published posthumously in 1921 when he was barely 30 years old. This book was called “Tractatus logico-philosophicus”. It is considered one of the foundational works of modern analytic philosophy. Wittgenstein believed that there exists a limit to what we can know because all knowledge rests upon language, and therefore, we cannot know anything beyond the limits of language itself.
According to Wittgenstein, philosophers should limit themselves to discussing what is true about our world. Language limits us from discussing natural science. Ethics and religion are still important subjects, but we cannot meaningfully discuss them. We can only make claims about what is true about our universe.
