Offers new insights into how Ludwig Wittgenstein understood matters concerning the meaning of life.

Widely considered one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century, Ludwig Wittgenstein was deeply interested in the significance of religion and ethics. Although he did not systematically examine religion and the meaning of life in his major published works, Wittgenstein professed that he would at times explore fundamental issues from a religious perspective.

Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Meaning of Life is the first compilation of private letters, remarks, and notes regarding Wittgenstein's thoughts and attitudes on ethics, religion, goodness, value, and moral action. With an academic approach, author Joaquín Jareño Alarcón reveals the significance of religion and ethics in Wittgenstein’s personal experience, corroborates the permanent tension between Wittgenstein and religion, highlights Wittgenstein’s preoccupation with the basic questions addressed by religious discourse, and more. Chronologically organized texts are accompanied by detailed commentary to illustrate how Wittgenstein’s interests in religion and ethics were reflected throughout his personal and intellectual evolution.

• Articulates Wittgenstein’s ethical point of view on religion
• Features a wide range of primary sources, such as personal commentaries, annotations, lecture notes, and diary entries
• Includes testimony of friends, students, and others with close ties to Wittgenstein
• Presents a balanced view of what Wittgenstein wrote and the recollections of others in his circle
• Discusses how the principal intention of Tractatus is to demonstrate the relevance of matters concerning religion and the meaning of life

Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Meaning of Life is essential reading for postgraduate and senior researchers, as well as advanced philosophy students and non-specialists interested in Wittgenstein’s more humanistic writings and his engagement with religion and ethics.

JOAQUÍN JAREÑO-ALARCÓN is a former Associate Professor of Philosophy of Culture and Philosophical Anthropology at the University of Murcia, Spain, and Assistant Professor of Ethics at the Catholic University of San Antonio, also in Spain. He served as an Academic Visitor at Oxford University and as a Visiting Scholar at Cambridge University. His books include Secular Portraits: David Hume and John Stuart Mill on the Meaning of Religion (Spanish Edition) and A Brief History of Modern Philosophy.