In his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein appears to have attempted to plot the limit to thinking – and therefore what one can possibly say about this world –  through primarily 6 propositions, with each of them building on the previous one, as if it is like a mathematical proof leading to some “definitive and unassailable” conclusion.

This is perhaps the reason why Wittgenstein has ended this masterpiece with a 7th but final proposition which is consisted of only one sentence, and reads as follow:  “ Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.”

For a period, Wittgenstein seems to have thought that the Tractatus has already said all one can say in Philosophy and hence he simply gave up philosophy after finishing it. He however has changed his mind later on. Partly because people’s misunderstanding about the Tractatus has “stung”  his “vanity” , Wittgesntein decided to return to Cambridge to resume philosophy in 1929.

And the result was another masterpiece known as Philosophical Investigation about 16 years later. However,  on the face ot it, the style and perspective of this later work of Wittgenstein looks diametrically opposite to the Tractatus. Instead of being like a mathematical proof,  the Philosophical Investigation is more like “sketches of landscape” and “an album”, to quote Wittgenstein’s own words.

Our videos and slides on 10 major thinkers  in history has borrowed certain spirit from the Tractatus in that we have attempted to outline the life and thoughts of these 10 thinkers in 6 propositions, with each of them building  on the previous ones.

We however have not provided any definitive conclusion; nor shall we ever attempt to. In this sense, our approach to introduce these 10 thinkers resemble more the later work of Wittgenstein in that  we have deliberately tried to make them look more like “an album” or “sketches of landscape”.

It was recorded that Wittgenstein has once described his way to do philosophy as like a tourist guide trying to introduce to others about the City of London.  While most tourist guides would mainly bring people to visit the  classic landmarks of the city, his approach is rather idiosyncratic and he would mainly bring people to various side streets in London, some of which are narrow and unknown to many. However,  after walking back and forth for a number of times along these streets, he expects the people going with him to be able to develop some “feel” about what the City of London is like.

And this is what we are aiming at: to facilitate our readers to develop his her own “feel” about these 10 thinkers.  And we also have to say that the way we select the quotes on these thinkers are rather idiosyncratic, reflecting mainly our perspective on their lives and thoughts and our methodology that the thoughts of a man or woman cannot be separated from his/ her own life and that the later can often provide an illuminating perspective to understand the former.

As such, we are seeking more to introduce and provoke interest on these 10 thinkers which we believe do well-deserve the interest and respect from the Humanities. Any errors and misinterpretations, of course, would be our responsibilities,and our responsibilities only.