Wittgenstein, part 3

When we left Wittgenstein yesterday, he had gone to Germany at the end of his the 1911 summer break to meet Gottlob Frege, who urged him to get to know Bertrand Russell in Cambridge.

So he went back to England and started attending Russell’s classes. At the end of the semester, he famously asked Russell if he should switch to philosophy or go back to aeronautics. Russell remembers the exchange as follows:

At the end of his first term at Cambridge he came to me and said: “Will you please tell me whether I am a complete idiot or not?” I replied: “My dear fellow, I don't know. Why are you asking me?” He said: “Because, if I am a complete idiot, I shall become an aeronaut; but if not, I shall become a philosopher."

In response, Russell asked him to write an essay on philosophy over winter break. When Wittgenstein returned in January with his essay, Russell read only the first page before telling Wittgenstein that he must stick with philosophy. Wittgenstein immediately transferred to Cambridge, and the rest is philosophical history.

Bertrand Russell on the advantages of useless knowledge

Bertrand Russell famously advocated the advantages of useless knowledge. He wrote in his essay "Useless" Knowledge, that, as the societies for the diffusion of useful knowledge began, people “forgot all about useless knowledge, which is much pleasanter."

He continued, arguing that “the most important advantage of ‘useless’ knowledge is that it promotes a contemplative habit of mind." He then contended that learning about unusual or curious things “makes pleasant things more pleasant,” noting that he enjoyed peaches and apricots more once he learned where they originated, how they got to Europe, and the etymology of the word apricot.

Certainly a nice thought for the weekend.