Ray Monk: "The philosophical and biographical importance of Wittgenstein's opposition to theory."
Wittgenstein's insistence that he had no philosophical theses or theories to expound has given his commentators a great deal of trouble ever since the publication of Philosophical Investigations. I will review some reactions to it, ranging from those who refuse to take it seriously to those who regard it as the keystone of his work. I argue for this latter position, but I maintain that the notion of "therapy" is unhelpful when trying to understand Wittgenstein's later work. My view is that one of things that an understanding of Wittgenstein's life and personality can offer is a better understanding of the importance to him of his rejection of theory.