Text und Kontext

Abstract Text and Context: Wittgenstein and His Time This paper examines the relationship between Ludwig Wittgenstein’s philosophy and the socio-cultural context of his time, specifically within the milieu of Viennese Modernity around 1900. The investigation is rooted in the growing scholarly interest in understanding Wittgenstein’s work in light of his cultural environment. Central to this analysis is the Viennese response to the dissolution of traditional value systems, the rise of identity crises, and the emergence of holistic responses by intellectuals to address perceived cultural and social fragmentation. Wittgenstein’s philosophical reflections, marked by a critical stance toward Western civilization’s progressive and mechanistic outlook, resonate with broader critiques of modernity from contemporaries like Karl Kraus or Oswald Spengler. The study traces Wittgenstein’s alignment with cultural pessimism and anti-technological sentiments, his conception of ‘civilization’ and ‘culture’, and his critique of ‘progress’ as mere accumulation without essence. Wittgenstein's remarks on clarity as a philosophical goal are contrasted with the relentless pursuit of external achievements in modern civilization. The paper focuses on how Wittgenstein’s thoughts also align with a broader intellectual movement in Vienna and Central Europe around 1900 that sought to preserve internal cultural values amidst the external forces of civilization and modernization.