After taking the course on Wittgenstein, I can say I have greatly grown to appreciate his ideas. Initially, I had a difficult time understanding his points but was motivated to stick with it every time a concept finally became clear. In the Tractatus, I was most interested in Wittgenstein’s explanation of philosophy and how it clears issues found within language. With the Investigations, it took a lot more time and effort to understand what Wittgenstein was trying to say from section to section. However, every time it clicked for me, the reward was much greater because of the clever ways he wrote. He writes in a way that makes you think on your own. I doubt anyone could sit down with the Investigations and read straight through it and understand it. You have to really see into his work and look for the little tricks and tones of voice he uses to convey his meaning.
The texts are very rich and worth it if one is truly interested. When the course began I never thought that I would enjoy studying Wittgenstein, even though I wanted to. I would like to study the Investigations more in the future (when things are less hectic). The in-class discussions were difficult to follow at first, considering how new and unfamiliar the concepts were to me, but over time they were a lot more meaningful and helpful. I have also learned a lot from taking the course and have been proud of the progress I feel in being able to understand something that seemed so impossible at first. The ideas of Wittgenstein have also caused me to think differently about things, like what we can learn from our language, the unsayable, and how language paradoxes arise. Overall, I am happy to have taken this course.
