Österreichische Ludwig Wittgenstein Gesellschaft - Kirchberg am Wechsel

Suvendu Das

The Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society was founded in 1974 as a local Wittgenstein Association. Until the mid-1980s, the name "Wittgenstein" was known only to a few specialists in Austria. In 1986, a connoisseur of the Austrian scene, Peter Weibel wrote: "Wittgenstein was totally ignored ten years ago in Vienna. Only the regular Wittgenstein symposia and the German translation of 'Wittgenstein's Vienna' have made the population realize that Wittgenstein is an important Viennese. "
Today a kind of cult has developed around Wittgenstein's person and his works. The last sentence of the Tractatus, "What you can not speak about, you have to be silent about that" has become the household word that has ever been thrown at another by a Member of the Austrian Parliament. Also our daily and weekly newspapers now publish articles about Wittgenstein, from the profile to the popular Kronen Zeitung. However, the myth "Wittgenstein" will not concern us here any further. When you look at the history of the Wittgenstein Society, its symposia and other activities, it becomes clear that it has contributed greatly to philosophical development; other developments, the promotion of Austrian tourism and the Austrian Wittgenstein cult, were a consequence, a side effect, but not a motive. So it came in 1976 to the Wittgenstein days (24-26 April). In retrospect, these Wittgenstein days were renamed "First International Wittgenstein Symposium". It was raining, the flags, the red-white-red Austrian and the blue-yellow Lower Austrian, dripping with rain, a brass band playing in front of the Kirchberg monastery, a visitor sang along, the deputy of the governor of Lower Austria, Mag. Siegfried Ludwig, made a speech, the first Wittgenstein documentation in the monastery was officially opened, on the stage in the dining room of the "Hotel Post" five members of the committee gave lectures on important aspects of Wittgenstein's philosophy. April). In retrospect, these Wittgenstein days were renamed "First International Wittgenstein Symposium".