Francis Skinner’s Original Wittgenstein Brown Book Manuscript

Abstract

The majority of the archive is made up of dictation by Wittgenstein, to Skinner, and notes taken by Skinner at Wittgenstein's lectures, with revisions by Wittgenstein. That the former are comparable to the dictations included in von Wright's catalogue raises them to the level of Nachlass material. It could be argued that, since they are in (written) manuscript with quite substantial correction and revision by Wittgenstein, this elevates them above the typescript Blue and Brown books in giving us an insight not 12 only into his thought but also into his methodology. In the light of the archive's illuminating new material, the basis for fresh insights into Wittgenstein's philosophical dictation thought-processes, and his approaches to mathematics, the Skinner archive ranks as one of the most exciting discoveries in Wittgenstein studies since von Wright first published his catalogue of the Nachlass in 1969.