This course is an introduction to the philosophy of Wittgenstein, one of the most influential and iconoclastic twentieth century thinkers. Our emphasis will be on two major texts from the later portion of his career: the Philosophical Investigations and On Certainty. First, we will consider how these works relate to themes from Wittgenstein’s early work, the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. After a deep exploration of the two primary texts, we will sample a selection of further writings and delve into some of the many insightful commentaries on his oeuvre. The course is structured to equip you to meet the challenges of interpreting Wittgenstein’s stylistically appealing but difficult prose, which takes the form of numbered aphoristic remarks, and to make it possible to answer questions such as following: Why has the reception of the philosophy of Wittgenstein been a site of intense controversy? In what sense are Wittgenstein’s images of language and mind in tension with the spirit of our time? How does inheriting from Wittgenstein contribute to moral and political thought? Should we follow in the footsteps of some influential readers and represent his thought as having a politically conservative bent? Or, would it instead be appropriate to treat his philosophy as capable of shedding light on radical or liberating social thought?