Abstract

Throughout his writings, Wittgenstein offers his readers what might be called an »ethical contract« : work through philosophical problems, you will solve these problems and, in consequence, gain the »peace of mind«. In his early work Tractatus logico-philosophicus, though, this promise extends only to »his reader« who acknowledges the truth of his ideas to be »unassailable and definitive«, i. e. the reader who understands him. Later, Wittgenstein devises a radically reader-oriented case-by-case strategy in order to open up the therapeutic circle of understanding to any philosophically minded reader replacing the concept of truth by that of sense. It aims to solve all readers’ philosophical problems by leading them out of the »fly glass« of their world view in which they are captive. Wittgenstein’s search for philosophical clarity therefore may be regarded not only as an end in itself but also as a way to honour the ethical pledge he makes to his readers.