The puzzle of Wittgenstein's Phänomenologie (1929–?)

pp. 202-228

in: Herbert Spiegelberg, The context of the phenomenological movement, The Hague, Nijhoff, 1982

Abstract

The puzzle about Ludwig Wittgenstein's phenomenology which I would like to discuss is on the face of it merely historical. It concerns one of the most recent publications from his posthumous papers, his Philosophische Bemerkungen. ² The source of this puzzle is that here for the first time the term Phänomenologie appears plainly and repeatedly in Wittgenstein's own published writings. What is the meaning and importance of this fact, which does not yet seem to have attracted attention?³ Since it is too late to consult Wittgenstein himself, it has become impossible to answer this question with finality. But this melancholy fact is no good reason for shirking the issue.