Wittgenstein - The Fly in the Fly-Bottle

Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) was an Austrian genius who treated philosophy like a disease.

In his first book, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, he argued that language creates "pictures" of the world.

• "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent."
• He thought he solved everything: Philosophy is just clearing up logical confusions. So he quit philosophy and became a gardener.

He realized he was wrong. He came back and wrote Philosophical Investigations. He argued that meaning isn't about "labeling" objects. Meaning is Use.

• Language Games: Language is a set of activities. "Water!" means something different if you are ordering at a cafe vs. warning someone about a flood.
• The Beetle in the Box: If we all have a box with a "beetle" inside, but no one can see anyone else's, the word "beetle" doesn't refer to the thing itself, but to its use in our public game.

His goal: "To show the fly the way out of the fly-bottle." Philosophy is the fly buzzing around, confused by the glass. Wittgenstein wanted to uncork the bottle so we could stop doing metaphysics and just... be.

You've met the giants. From Socrates questioning the street corner to Wittgenstein analyzing the words we use to ask the questions.

The point wasn't to memorize their names. It was to see that reality is weirder, deeper, and more malleable than it looks.

Go touch grass. (Phenomenologically, of course).