FROM WITTGENSTEIN'S POSSESSION

MOORE, G.E.

Identity. Reprinted from the "Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society," 1901.

(London), 1901. 8vo. Blank light brown wrappers; a very nice and clean copy. 25 pp.

First edition, separate re-print - from the library of Wittgenstein (not stated anywhere in the copy, but the copy comes from the descendents of Hänsel, who verify the provenance) - of this interesting paper in which Moore establishes his theory about the nature of the world.

The present work is extremely difficult to find separately, and the present copy has been in the possession of Ludwig Wittgenstein, who was probably given the copy by Moore himself. Wittgenstein handed over some of his belongings, including a number of his books, to his life-long friend Ludwig Hänsel. Among these belongings was the present copy of Moore's influential work.

Wittgenstein did not have many close friends, but the closest- together with Rudolph Koder- was Luwig Hänsel, who was a high-school teacher of German and literature. Hänsel and Wittgenstein, who befriended each other in 1918 while being war prisoners in Monte Casino, also remained close friends throughout their lives.

George Edward Moore (1873-1958) is one of the most influential of twentieth century philosophers, and his contributions to analytic philosophy can be compared to only those of Russell, Wittgenstein and Frege, with whom he founded this philosophical discipline. His impact on Anglo-American philosophy in the 20th century must be said to be nearly unsurpassed. With his "Identity" he sets out to establish what the world really is and does so by disposing of most generally accepted theories about the nature of the world.
"A am very anxious it should not be thought that the subject of this paper is of merely departmental interest. What I have to say is not addressed to those who are interested in any particular science, such as logic, definition, or psychology, but to all who are interested in the question what the world is. It appears to me that if what I say shall be true, most of those theories about the nature of the world, which are of the most general interest and which attract the most disciples for the various schools of philosophy, must be either false or purely chimerical." (p. (1)).

Order-nr.: 41458