Editing Ludwig Wittgenstein (section)

=== Influence of Otto Weininger ===
[[File:OttoWeiningerspring1903.jpg|thumb|upright|Austrian philosopher [[Otto Weininger]] (1880–1903)]]
While a student at the ''Realschule'', Wittgenstein was influenced by Austrian philosopher [[Otto Weininger]]'s 1903 book ''Geschlecht und Charakter'' (''[[Sex and Character]]''). Weininger (1880–1903), who was Jewish, argued that the concepts of male and female exist only as [[Platonic realism|Platonic forms]], and that Jews tend to embody the Platonic femininity. Whereas men are basically rational, women operate only at the level of their emotions and sexual organs. Jews, Weininger argued, are similar, saturated with femininity, with no sense of right and wrong, and no soul. Weininger argues that man must choose between his masculine and feminine sides, consciousness and unconsciousness, platonic love and sexuality. Love and sexual desire stand in contradiction, and love between a woman and a man is therefore doomed to misery or immorality. The only life worth living is the spiritual one – to live as a woman or a Jew means one has no right to live at all; the choice is genius or death. Weininger committed suicide, shooting himself in 1903, shortly after publishing the book.{{sfn|Monk|1990|pp=19–26}} Wittgenstein, then 14, attended Weininger's funeral.{{sfn|Hamann|2000|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=GHJjAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA229 229]}} Many years later, as a professor at the [[University of Cambridge]], Wittgenstein distributed copies of Weininger's book to his bemused academic colleagues. He said that Weininger's arguments were wrong, but that it was the way they were wrong that was interesting.<ref>{{Cite book |page=216 |title=Philosophical Tales |last=Cohen |first=M. |publisher=Blackwell |year=2008}}</ref> In a letter dated 23&nbsp;August 1931, Wittgenstein wrote the following to [[G. E. Moore]]:{{blockquote|Dear Moore,<br /><br />Thanks for your letter. I can quite imagine that you don't admire Weininger very much, what with that beastly translation and the fact that W. must feel very foreign to you. It is true that he is fantastic but he is great and fantastic. It isn't necessary or rather not possible to agree with him but the greatness lies in that with which we disagree. It is his enormous mistake which is great. I.e. roughly speaking if you just add a "~" to the whole book it says an important truth.{{sfn|McGuinness|2008|p=141}}}}In an unusual move, Wittgenstein took out a copy of Weininger's work on 1 June 1931 from the Special Order Books in the university library. He met Moore on 2 June, when he probably gave this copy to Moore.{{sfn|McGuinness|2008|p=141}}