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Sounds like you don't know Alan Turing was Wittgenstein's student for a number of years. Cool. Feel free to remain an imbecile.

lisper 3y ago
That is indeed news to me. Can you provide a reference? BTW, Turing's Ph.D. advisor was Alonzo Church. So it's possible that Turing once took a class from Wittgenstein or attended one of his lectures, but he was definitely not "Wittgenstein's student" in the sense in which that phrase is generally understood in academia. According to Wikipedia, Turing "attended lectures given in 1939 by Ludwig Wittgenstein about the foundations of mathematics." But that is not the kind of thing that would allow Wittgenstein to lay any claim to Turing's work.
- Takennickname 3y ago
  Try reading a biography or a companion book instead of just googling everything. The internet has a lot of knowledge, but it's very low quality. Books (depending on the book) have quality of knowledge that is just unmatched on the internet. And now with LLMs, the quality of knowledge on the internet is going to take another substantial hit soon.
  - lisper 3y ago
    So that's a "no", you cannot (or will not) supply a reference. You are the one making the claim, so the burden of proof is on you. And BTW, the claim you need to defend is not that "Turing was Wittgenstein's student for a number of years". That is demonstrably false. Turing and Wittgenstein didn't even meet for the first time until after Turing finished his Ph.D., indeed, after he published "On Computable Numbers". But that is neither here nor there (except insofar as it speaks to your general credibility). The claim you need to defend is that the Tractatus "put an end to analytical philosophy and a start to computer science". Can you cite even one author who supports this claim? Can you cite a single example of Turing acknowledging Wittgenstein as an influence on OCN? (OCN itself doesn't mention Wittgenstein at all.) In fact, can you cite a single example of Turing and Wittgenstein publicly agreeing about anything? Because all of the references to Turing and Wittgenstein interacting with either other involve vehement disagreement. In fact, I suspect that the truth is the exact opposite. If Wittgenstein had any influence on Turing at all, it would have been to motivate Turing to invent computer science in order to debunk Wittgenstein. Indeed, many of Wittgenstein's positions are embarrassingly naive in light of modern knowledge. It's not just the Tractatus that is bogus, AFAICT he was just wrong about everything. The fact that he is so highly regarded is truly bewildering.
    - Takennickname 3y ago
      That's not a no. I CAN provide a reference. As a matter of fact, I did. Wittgenstein and Turings biographies. Read my comments you uneducated keyboard warrior instead of acting out emotionally.
      - lisper 3y ago
        You know, I decided to read the Tractatus, and at the end there is this little gem: "My propositions are elucidatory in this way: he who understands me finally recognizes them as senseless" I shall sleep well tonight.

lisper 3y ago

That is indeed news to me. Can you provide a reference? BTW, Turing's Ph.D. advisor was Alonzo Church. So it's possible that Turing once took a class from Wittgenstein or attended one of his lectures, but he was definitely not "Wittgenstein's student" in the sense in which that phrase is generally understood in academia. According to Wikipedia, Turing "attended lectures given in 1939 by Ludwig Wittgenstein about the foundations of mathematics." But that is not the kind of thing that would allow Wittgenstein to lay any claim to Turing's work.

Takennickname 3y ago
Try reading a biography or a companion book instead of just googling everything. The internet has a lot of knowledge, but it's very low quality. Books (depending on the book) have quality of knowledge that is just unmatched on the internet. And now with LLMs, the quality of knowledge on the internet is going to take another substantial hit soon.
- lisper 3y ago
  So that's a "no", you cannot (or will not) supply a reference. You are the one making the claim, so the burden of proof is on you. And BTW, the claim you need to defend is not that "Turing was Wittgenstein's student for a number of years". That is demonstrably false. Turing and Wittgenstein didn't even meet for the first time until after Turing finished his Ph.D., indeed, after he published "On Computable Numbers". But that is neither here nor there (except insofar as it speaks to your general credibility). The claim you need to defend is that the Tractatus "put an end to analytical philosophy and a start to computer science". Can you cite even one author who supports this claim? Can you cite a single example of Turing acknowledging Wittgenstein as an influence on OCN? (OCN itself doesn't mention Wittgenstein at all.) In fact, can you cite a single example of Turing and Wittgenstein publicly agreeing about anything? Because all of the references to Turing and Wittgenstein interacting with either other involve vehement disagreement. In fact, I suspect that the truth is the exact opposite. If Wittgenstein had any influence on Turing at all, it would have been to motivate Turing to invent computer science in order to debunk Wittgenstein. Indeed, many of Wittgenstein's positions are embarrassingly naive in light of modern knowledge. It's not just the Tractatus that is bogus, AFAICT he was just wrong about everything. The fact that he is so highly regarded is truly bewildering.
  - Takennickname 3y ago
    That's not a no. I CAN provide a reference. As a matter of fact, I did. Wittgenstein and Turings biographies. Read my comments you uneducated keyboard warrior instead of acting out emotionally.
    - lisper 3y ago
      You know, I decided to read the Tractatus, and at the end there is this little gem: "My propositions are elucidatory in this way: he who understands me finally recognizes them as senseless" I shall sleep well tonight.