Bruce Duffy (1951–2022)

Ludwig Wittgenstein is one of the most intriguing and enigmatic figures of 20th century European philosophy. And Bertrand Russell one of the most erudite, moreover an icon of rational logic. I knew that much before I started this book, and that both giants are the protagonists of course creates some expectations. But let me be clear right away: unfortunately they have not been fully met, in the end I even got a slight feeling of disappointment. Mind you, I don't want to undervalue Bruce Duffy's ‘tour de force’: he does introduce us to the rather eventful lives of both gentlemen, and makes a serious attempt to explain their philosophical (and other) work from the perspective of their life course. And it is certainly creditable that he uses an intermediate form between biography and fiction, which gives his story the necessary dramatic and entertaining effects. But still, I was a bit underwhelmed.

For starters, staging Bertrand Russell as the absolute opposite of Wittgenstein feels a little forced. Agreed, superficially they have were antipodes in both their work and their lives: the rationalist Russell who sought out (and got a kick out of) worldly fame, versus the complex, barely comprehensible and man-shy Wittgenstein. Duffy emphasizes the small sides of Russell very strongly: his arrogant self-righteousness, his vanity and jealousy and his womanizing are given ample attention, with the reader having difficulty suppressing some derogatory sniggering. On the other hand, he clearly puts the constantly struggling Wittgenstein on a pedestal: without discussion he is the real hero of the story, who constantly shows that Emperor Russell (and with him Western philosophy) walks without clothes. But I might be doing Duffy a little injustice here: the interaction with the apparently more colorless, more earthy philosopher George Moore is a good find to make both Wittgenstein and Russell stand out, although Moore's bedtime conversations with his wife are little more than glorified gossip.

Personally, I especially found the second part, which zooms in on Wittgenstein's traumatic experiences in the trenches of the First World War, the most interesting and the most successful. Duffy does well in explaining how Wittgenstein's foundations, which were not already made of rock, were further smashed to smithereens. That war experience – together with his complex family history and his suppressed Jewish and gay identity – seems, according to Duffy, to be the most decisive element in Wittgenstein's wayward path away from rationalistic Western philosophy. It is a pity that after this second part this book noticeably loses its suspense and even bleeds to death a bit towards the end. At that moment I also noticed that I hadn't really learned that much about the thinking of Wittgenstein and Russell. So I rate this with a rather flattering 2.5 stars, because – after all - it is about 2 giants of Western philosophy.… (més)