Dia 1

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Wittgenstein 2.0 Jos de Mul Erasmus University
Rotterdam demul_at_fwb.eur.nl www.demul.nl
2
Ontological transformations
Meaning is designation
Meaning is use

• Wittgenstein I
• Web 1.0
• Wittgenstein 1.0

• Wittgenstein II
• Web 2.0
• Wittgenstein 2.0

Similar ontology
User participation
Automation
Similar ontology
Bergen Electronic Edition
Wittgenstein Wide Web
3

• Is Wittgenstein a philosopher of secondary
  orality
• or rather a philosopher of hypertext?
• 2. The Bergen Electronic Edition of
  Wittgensteins Nachlass (Wittgenstein 1.0)
• 3. Die Maschine hat es in sich, sich so zu
  bewegen (Wittgenstein 2.0)

4

• Is Wittgenstein a philosopher of secondary
  orality
• or rather a philosopher of hypertext?

5

• Nyíri, J.C. 1996/1997. Wittgenstein as a
  philosopher of secondary orality. Grazer
  Philosophische Studien 5245-57.
• Ong, W. 1982. Orality and Literacy The
  Technologizing of the Word. London/New York
  Methuen.

6
Media philosophy

• The medium is the message (McLuhan)
• The message of philosophy is - partly
  determined by its mediatic form (Ong)
• Media develop in complex interplay with other
  cultural and social developments, human action
  and intentions etc.

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Ongs analysis of Plato

• Platos doctrine of Ideas reflects the
  transformation from oral to written philosophy.
• In oral communication language signifies in many
  different ways, in the medium of writing words
  basically designating something.
• Writing abstracts words from the concrete
  context it creates the illusion that the same
  words always designate the same abstract objects.
  
• Hence the structure of the dialogues again and
  again Socrates challenges his opponents to make
  the transition from the manifold of uses of a
  word to its essential meaning.

8
Plato, Euthyphro

• My friend, you did not give me sufficient
  information before, when I asked what holiness
  was, but you told me that this was holy which you
  are now doing, prosecuting your father for
  murder. - Euthyphro Well, what I said was true,
  Socrates. - Socrates Perhaps. But, Euthyphro,
  you say that many other things are holy, do you
  not? - Euthyphro Why, so they are. - Socrates
  Now call to mind that this is not what I asked
  you, to tell me one or two of the many holy acts,
  but to tell the essential aspect, by which all
  holy acts are holy.

9
Plato, Euthyphro

• My friend, you did not give me sufficient
  information before, when I asked what holiness
  was, but you told me that this was holy which you
  are now doing, prosecuting your father for
  murder. - Euthyphro Well, what I said was true,
  Socrates. - Socrates Perhaps. But, Euthyphro,
  you say that many other things are holy, do you
  not? - Euthyphro Why, so they are. - Socrates
  Now call to mind that this is not what I asked
  you, to tell me one or two of the many holy acts,
  but to tell the essential aspect, by which all
  holy acts are holy.

10
Philosophical Investigations (I65)

• You talk about all sorts of language games, but
  have nowhere said what the essence of a language
  game, and hence of language, is what is common
  to all these activities, and what makes them into
  language or parts of language. - And this is
  true. - Instead of producing something common to
  all that we call language, I am saying that these
  phenomena have no one thing in common which makes
  us use the same word for all, - but that they are
  related to one another in many different ways.

11
Philosophical Investigations (I65)

• You talk about all sorts of language games, but
  have nowhere said what the essence of a language
  game, and hence of language, is what is common
  to all these activities, and what makes them into
  language or parts of language. - And this is
  true. - Instead of producing something common to
  all that we call language, I am saying that these
  phenomena have no one thing in common which makes
  us use the same word for all, - but that they are
  related to one another in many different ways.

12
Wittgenstein (MS 30214)

• Ich kann meinen Standpunkt nicht besser
  charakterisieren, als indem ich sage, daß er der
  entgegengesetzte Standpunkt dessen ist, welchen
  Sokrates Sokrates in den platonischen Platon
  Dialogen vertritt.

13
From literacy to orality

• Secondary orality (Ong) new oral media, which
  have recourse to writing and printing
• Examples film, radio, television
• Wittgenstein was almost addicted to going to the
  movies and often uses the sound-film to
  illustrate his philosophical points

14
Wittgensteins problematic relationship to
written language

• In the Wörterbuch für Volksschulen he complains
  about the distorting effects of tyopography
• Reluctance to publish his writings
• Poor orthography (dyslexia?)
• Anachronistic prediliction for having people read
  out loud texts to him
• Aphoristic and dialogical style
• Tendency to explain arguments by using pictures
  and diagrams

15
Two critical remarks with regard to Nyíris
argument

• In the case of Wittgensteins Nachlass we should
  rather speak of secondary literacy (writing that
  has recourse of oral practices). After all, his
  Nachlass consists of 50.000 pages
• - Ich hätte gerne ein gutes Buch
  hervorgebracht, ja ein sehr gutes aber es ist
  nicht so ausgefallen und die Zeit ist vorbei ...
  (MS 133, 145, December 4, 1946)
• Hegelian ring in Ongs and Nyíris argument
  secundary orality as synthesis of orality and
  litercay
• - Misses aspects of new media that go
  beyond orality and literacy (e.g. montage in
  film)
• - Even more so in the case of
  computer-mediated ways of writing. V. Bushs
  Memex Machine (Microfilm Hypertext System), As
  we may think. In Atlantic Monthly, 176 (1945)

16
Alternative Hypothesis

• Intentionally, unintentionally or perhaps even
  contrary to his conscious intentions (compare
  Platos hostility against writing), Wittgenstein
  was in search of a new, post-literate way of
  writing
• Wenn ich für mich denke ohne ein Buch schreiben
  zu wollen, so springe ich um das Thema herum das
  ist die einzige mir natürliche Denkweise. In
  einer Reihe gezwungen fortzudenken ist mir eine
  Qual. Soll ich es nun überhaupt probieren? (MS
  118 94v)

17
MS 118, 95v, 16 September 1937
18
Die einzige Darstellung, deren ich noch fähig
bin, ist die, diese Bemerkungen durch einen Netz
von Zahlen so zu verbinden, daß ihr, äußerst
komplizierter, Zusammenhang sichtbar wird.
MS 118, 95v, 16 September 1937
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Wittgensteins Nachlass

• In his review of Volume 11 of the Wiener Ausgabe
  of Wittgensteins Nachlass, David Lauer
  described the 20.000 Seiten umfassendes Gewebe
  of Wittgensteins legacy as der Traum jedes
  postmodernen Texttheoretikers, aber der Alb eines
  aufrechten Herausgebers
• David Lauer. 2001. Nachrichten aus dem Strudel
  des Denkens. Die Tageszeitung, 12 December.

21
2. The Bergen Electronic Edition of
Wittgensteins Nachlass (Wittgenstein 1.0)
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Wittgenstein, Ludwig. Wittgenstein's Nachlass
(Bergen Electronic Edition). Oxford University
Press 1998/2000

• All transcripted texts of the Nachlass
• Coded in a primary format using a syntax called
  MECS (Multi Element Code System)
• 6 CD-roms containing facsimiles of all 20.000
  pages, as well as a diplomatic and normalized
  version of all pages
• Advanced search possibilities

24
MS 118, 95v, 16 September 1937
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Advantages of the BEE

• Complete Nachlass in three formats on 6 CD-roms
• Indispensable tool for every Wittgenstein
  scholar, because of sophisticated search
  possibilities (templates)
• It seems next to impossible to combine indexing
  and synopsis. No one would finance a series
  of books (or care to use them) containing the
  astronomical number of relations between index
  entries and changes of contexts in gory detail
• Herbert Hrachovech, 2000. Wittgenstein on line /
  on the line. http//wab.aksis.uib.no/wab_contrib-h
  h.page

31
Practical disadvantages of the BEE

• Expensive
• Requires specific hard and software (PC and MS
  Windows operating system)
• Limited or no functionality in certain network
  environments
• User unfriendly and outdated software
  (Folioviews 3.11)

32
Mediatic disadvantages of the BEE

• The BEE still mimics book culture
• Under present conditions one can find a
  particular paragraph and all of its subsequent
  instances as they appear in the later volumes. It
  is, however, impossible to break out of the
  straitjacket of the von Wright classification and
  deal with paragraphs as basic data units. As
  a matter of fact the encapsulated FolioViews file
  is the very opposite of hypertext
• Herbert Hrachovech, 2000. Wittgenstein on line /
  on the line. http//wab.aksis.uib.no/wab_contrib-h
  h.page

33
Mediatic disadvantages of the BEE

• The BEE still mimics book culture
• Under present conditions one can find a
  particular paragraph and all of its subsequent
  instances as they appear in the later volumes. It
  is, however, impossible to break out of the
  straitjacket of the von Wright classification and
  deal with paragraphs as basic data units. As
  a matter of fact the encapsulated FolioViews file
  is the very opposite of hypertext
• Herbert Hrachovech, 2000. Wittgenstein on line /
  on the line. http//wab.aksis.uib.no/wab_contrib-h
  h.page

34
Informationistic disadvantages of the BEE

• For copy right reasons the BEE doesnt allow the
  user to
• - access the source code (MECS)
• - manipulate the source code
• - change the source code and data
• The BEE makes no use of intelligent automation
  such as
• - automated syntactic and semantic data-mining
• - automated visualizing of complexity
• - automated linking to relevant

35
Social disadvantages of the BEE

• The BEE is a stand alone application it does
  not enable cooperation, such as
• - sharing interesting searches
• - sharing annotations
• - sharing references to relevant secondary
  literature

36
Improving the BEE

• The Tracing Wittgenstein project (Hrachovec,
  Köhler and Pichler, since 2001) aiming at
  exploring the Nachlass while using and developing
  new tools for net-based scholarly collaboration.
• The DISCOVERY project (Digital Semantic Corpora
  for Virtual Research in Philosophy, since 2005),
  aiming at
• The WAB (Wittgenstein Archives at the University
  of Bergen) is about to publish an online open
  XML version of 5000 pages of the Nachlass

37
Just one example APE

• a software Assistant for Philological
  Explorations
• that has a more user-friendly user interface
• and enable users to add and share annotations via
  HTTP

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Towards Wittgenstein 2.0

• The BEE might be organized so as to mirror
  Wittgenstein's editorial techniques, starting
  with single remarks as elementary building blocks
  and putting them together in a variety of ways,
  following Wittgenstein's lead. His working
  process, not its result, could be taken as the
  guiding principle.
• Herbert Hrachovech, 2000. Wittgenstein on line /
  on the line. http//wab.aksis.uib.no/wab_contrib-h
  h.page

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• However, in order to do so, we have take
  Wittgensteins philosophy into acount!

41
3. Die Maschine hat es in sich, sich so zu
bewegen (Wittgenstein 2.0)
42
Die einzige Darstellung, deren ich noch fähig
bin, ist die, diese Bemerkungen durch einen Netz
von Zahlen so zu verbinden, daß ihr, äußerst
komplizierter, Zusammenhang sichtbar wird.
Ich habe gemeint ... heißt hier ich habe dies
in petto gehabt. Aber dies ist doch ein Bild.
Die Maschine hat es in sich, sich so zu bewegen.
MS 118, 95v, 16 September 1937
43
Die Maschine hat es in sich, sich so zu
bewegen. (September 15, 1937 MS 118
95v).
Die einzige Darstellung, deren ich noch fähig
bin, ist die, diese Bemerkungen durch einen
Netz von Zahlen so zu verbinden, daß ihr,
äußerst komplizierter, Zusammenhang sichtbar
wird. (September 15, 1937 MS 118
95v).
Die Maschine hat es in sich, sich so zu
bewegen. January 1, 1938 MS 221 215
Der Mathematiker ist kein Entdecker, sondern ein
Erfinder. Ich kann doch nur folgern, was
wirklich folgt! D.h. was die logische
Maschine wirklich hervorbringt. Die logische
Maschine, das wäre ein Art Weltäther ein alles
durchdringender ätherischer Mechanismus. Und
vor diesem Bild muß man warnen. (January 1,
1938 MS 221 215).
Aber eine Maschine kann doch nicht denken! Ist
dies ein Erfahrungssatz? Nein. Wir sagen nur vom
Menschen, und was ihm ähnlich ist, es denke. Wir
sagen es auch von Puppen, und wohl auch von
Geistern. Sieh das Wort denken als Instrument
an! (August 17,1944 MS 129 178).
44
Changing the rules of the game

• Though Wittgensteins critique of ascribing
  mental predicates to machines other than
  metaphorically may have been justified in the
  time it was written, it may become pointless in
  an age where the behaviour of machines is
  increasingly less easy to distinguish form human
  behaviour. It may force us to change the rules of
  this particular language-game.

45

• Nyíri, J.C. 1989. Wittgenstein and the Problem of
  Machine Consciousness. Grazer Philosophische
  Studien 33/34 375-394.

46
Changing the game of life

• The machine enters into social life and
  psychological development,,the computer affects
  the way we think, especially the way we think
  about ourselves. The question is not what will
  the computer be like in the future, but instead,
  what will we be like? What kind of people are we
  becoming?
• Sherry Turkle. 1984. The Second Self Computers
  and the Human Spirit Simon and Schuster.3.

47
From Wittgenstein I to Wittgenstein 2.0
Meaning is designation
Meaning is use

• Wittgenstein I
• Web 1.0
• Wittgenstein 1.0

• Wittgenstein II
• Web 2.0
• Wittgenstein 2.0

Similar ontology
User participation
Automation
Similar ontology
Bergen Electronic Edition
Wittgenstein Wide Web
48
Web 1.0 The Tractatus approach

• Web 1.0 is a logical space, consisting of a
  huge number of objects (web pages) that are
  connected with links (Sachverhalte)
• TLP 2.01 Der Sachverhalt ist eine Verbindung
  von Gegenständen. (Sachen, Dingen)
• Many links (Sachverhalte) are possible, but only
  a finite number of links actually exist (die
  Tatsache).
• TLP 2 Was der Fall ist, die Tatsache, ist das
  Bestehen von Sachverhalten
• The actual relationships together constitute the
  world (Welt) of Web 1.0
• TLP 1.13 Die Tatsachen im logischen Raum
  sind die Welt
• However, the reality (Wirklichkeit) of the Web
  1.0 also contains many negative facts possible
  links that have not yet been realized, no longer
  exist, or that might be realized in the futur
• TLP 2.06 Das Bestehen und nicht
  Nichtbestehen von Sachverhalten ist die
  Wirklichkeit

49
Database ontology

• The reality of Web 1.0 is a virtual reality in
  the sense that it consists of a great number of
  logically possible, but non-existing relations.
• The state of Web 1 at any moment can be compared
  with one particular query in a relational
  database
• Cf. modal sciences, such as molecular biology
  the organic world is only one constellation of a
  large number of possible (re)combinations of the
  genes that together constitute the gene pool.

50
The Wittgenstein Wide Web 1.9(Stage 1
automation)

• Change the Nachlass into a logical machine that,
  starting from the atomic remarks, is able to
  generate all possible combinations (Sachverhalte)
  of them. Such a self-moving machine would
  transform the virtual reality of Web 1.0 into a
  real virtuality
• Greogory Chaitlin) If you fix or freeze life,
  it dies
• Remember, however Über das was man nicht
  berechnen kann, darüber muss man schweigen.

51
WWW 1.9 remains a dumb machine

• Manipulation of the index mechanism per se
  cannot produce important results. The
  disappearance of manifest meaning is, in fact,
  the price to pay for enhanced electronic
  facilities. One can easily pick any combination
  of termsand search constraints but there is no
  guarantee whatoever that this will lead to an
  interesting result. So where does importance
  come in? This is a category of reflective
  assessment, crucially different from automated
  procedures. This discrepancy is at the center of
  any discussion about computer-assisted philology.
  to put it very simply elaborate tools are of
  little help without knowledge of their proper
  use
• Herbert Hrachovech, 2000. Wittgenstein on line /
  on the line. http//wab.aksis.uib.no/wab_contrib-h
  h.page

52
The Wittgenstein Wide Web 2.0(Stage 2
sophistiated automation user participation)

• From HTML to XML
• The page is no longer the basic unit, but each
  element of the page becomes addressable
• Users are invited to insert their (semantic)
  knowledge and experiences in the logical machine
• Users leurn thatnks to constant feedback

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Amazon.com

• Three types of individual participation
• Reviews, comments, hints
• Metadata ratings, semantic tags (anti-platonic,
  Wittgensteinian folksonomies)
• Buying behavior
• Result learning from the behavior of others
  Customers that bought X, also bought Y

55
Social networking applications

• Types of social participation
• Communication
• Sharing interests and cultural artefacts
• Examples Blogs, Flicr, Last, Youtube, Hyves,
  Myspace etc.

56
Wittgenstein 2.0

• Database with all published texts, Nachlass
  (facsimiles,diplomatic, normalized version), and
  letters translations
• Sophisticated search functions
• Possibility to re-combine all sentences and
  remarks
• Annotations (semantic tags), articles,
  commentaries of other scholars
• P2P sharing of materials
• Communication interfaces (e-mail, blogs)
• Rankings and semantic tags
• Researchers that recombined these remarks, also
  were interested in the following recombinations
• If you liked this conclusion, dont forget to
  read the following counter-arguments

57
Wittgenstein 2.0 audiovisuals

• Recorded lectures and debate
• Audiovisual communication interfaces (webcam,
  video conferencing etc.)
• Visualization of complexity

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Mapping the Tractatus
60

• The Natural reading of Tatsache as a molecular
  fact (or complex fact)
• Max Black. 1964. A companion to Wittgenstein's
  Tractatus. Ithaca,New York Cornell University
  Press, p.31.
• suggest a model that best practices in
  visualization in chemistry.

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Wittgenstein 2.0 Query result Sort by
manuscripts Date 1931-1932
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Wittgenstein 2.0 1931 MS 118

63
Link made by L. Wittgenstein Date 16 September
1937 Source MS 118, 95v,
Ich habe gemeint ... heißt hier ich habe
dies in petto gehabt. Aber dies ist doch ein
Bild.
Die Maschine hat es in sich, sich so zu
bewegen..
Relevant comment
Relevant comment
64
Die Maschine hat es in sich, sich so zu
bewegen.. 16 September 1937 MS 118, 95v,
65
Further prospects

• Connection to other networks (Imagine a heated
  debate about machine-consciousness between
  Wittgenstein 2.0 and Turing 2.0)
• More life in the garden The logical machine
  thanks to genetic algorithms starts to make its
  own recombinations (It might recognize
  interesting composational simililarities between
  de Tractatus and some cantates of Bach)
• For the time being beware of Wittgenstein 3.0,
  who will start to think for himself

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There is no such thing as a heaven (at least not
on earth)

• Vagueness
• Inconsistencies
• Bugs
• Human vices (free riding, stealing, hacking,
  lying etc.).
• Commercialization
• Mediocracy

67
Wir sind aufs Glatteis geraten, wo die Reibung
fehlt, also die Bedingungen in gewissem Sinne
ideal sind, aber wir eben deshalb auch nicht
gehen können. Ludwig Wittgenstein Glattes
Eis, ein Paradies für den, der gut zu tanzen
weiß. Friedrich Nietzsche