In short
wittgenstein.be is an independent, non-commercial guide to Ludwig Wittgenstein in three languages. Texts are researched and sourced, quotes come from the German originals (public domain in the EU since 2022) with our own translations, and corrections are welcome.
wittgenstein.be is an independent, non-commercial guide to Ludwig Wittgenstein, written in English, Dutch and French. It explains his key concepts, reviews all his books, introduces the philosophers who took up his ideas and shows how his way of thinking can be used in everyday life. It sells nothing, carries no advertising and is not linked to any university, publisher or foundation.
Who it is for
Curious readers, secondary school pupils and first-year students, and anyone who once came across "the limits of my language" and wanted to know what it really means. We try to write the way the best lecturer you ever had would talk: clear, precise and never showing off.
How the texts are made
Every page is researched against the primary texts and against reliable reference works such as the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Bergen Nachlass Edition. The sources for each page are listed and linked at the bottom, so you can check what we write.
Wittgenstein died in 1951, so since 2022 his own writings are in the public domain in the European Union. That is why we quote him from the German originals, with remark numbers such as Tractatus 5.6 or PI §43, and give our own translations. Published translations are still protected, and they are not always the clearest anyway. We translate by meaning rather than word for word, and each language version is written to read naturally, not as a copy of the others.
Where scholars disagree, for example on how to read the end of the Tractatus or what the rule-following remarks really show, we say so instead of pretending there is one answer.
How to cite this site
Name the page, the site and the date you consulted it, for example: "Language games", wittgenstein.be, consulted on 3 March 2026. For anything you will be graded or published on, cite Wittgenstein's own text as well, with the remark number.
Corrections
Mistakes happen, even with careful research. If you find a wrong date, a doubtful translation or a claim that needs a better source, please let us know. Corrections are welcome and we make them gladly.