Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) was one of the most brilliant and influential philosophers of the 20th century. He initiated two distinct philosophical revolutions that permanently reshaped the philosophy of language, logic, and analytic philosophy. 1. Full Name and Philosophical School: Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein, a leading figure in Analytic Philosophy and the Philosophy of Language. 2. Historical Background and Biography: Born in Vienna into one of Europe's wealthiest and most culturally prominent families, Wittgenstein initially studied aeronautical engineering in Britain. His fascination with the foundations of mathematics led him to Cambridge to study under Bertrand Russell. His intellectual trajectory is famously divided into two periods: 'Early Wittgenstein' (author of Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus) and 'Late Wittgenstein' (author of Philosophical Investigations). In between, he renounced his wealth, worked as a primary school teacher, and later returned to academia to dismantle his own early doctrine. 3. Core Philosophical Structure and Concepts: - Early Phase (Picture Theory of Language): In the 'Tractatus', Wittgenstein argued that language is a logical picture of reality. A proposition is meaningful only if it corresponds to state-of-affairs in the physical world ('The limits of my language mean the limits of my world'). Non-empirical claims—including ethics, aesthetics, and metaphysics—were deemed strictly unutterable. He concluded: 'Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.' - Late Phase (Language-Games & Meaning as Use): In 'Philosophical Investigations', Wittgenstein repudiated his earlier view. He asserted that 'meaning is use' within everyday context. Language is not a rigid code but an evolving collection of 'language-games' embedded in dynamic 'forms of life'. Philosophical problems arise when 'language goes on holiday'—when words are isolated from their functional, social context. 4. Profound Impact on Society, Ethics, and History: Wittgenstein's early work provided the spark for the Vienna Circle and Logical Positivism, while his later work birthed Ordinary Language Philosophy, revolutionizing linguistics, cognitive science, literary theory, and sociology. He demonstrated that many classical philosophical paradoxes are not deep mysteries to be solved, but linguistic confusions to be dissolved by clarifying how we use language.