FanGraphs Audio: Klaassen on Fielder, Wittgenstein

by
January 19, 2012

Episode 128
It goes without saying that, if nothing else, sports fans are hungry for more chatter about late Austrian-British philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. Fortunately, FanGraphs contributor and today’s guest Matt Klaassen is a PhD candidate in philosophy. He delivers several dramatic soliloquies on Wittgenstein’s life and work. Also discussed: Josh Hamilton, Prince Fielder, and the Texas Rangers.

Don’t hesitate to direct pod-related correspondence to @cistulli on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.

Audio after the jump. (Approximately 37 min. play time.)

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Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.

10 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Jesse
14 years ago

Klaasen is my favorite guest, looking forward to this.

1
James Gentile
14 years ago
Reply to  Jesse

Next week Klassen delivers several dramatic soliloquies on Ty Wiggingtonstein’s life and work.

1
Jesse
14 years ago

I liked this introduction to Wittgenstein, “the history of philosophy is the history of non-sense but the history of non-sense that’s scholarship”.

Question for Klaasen: what are your favorite humanities journal? Are there any that you would recommend specifically to fangraphs readers? (You mentioned that you read “catty” philosophy or humanity journals?)

0
awy
14 years ago

yay w

0
Craig TyleMember since 2016
14 years ago

Another reason to love fangraphs . .

(BA, Philosophy 1982)

0
Matt H
14 years ago
Reply to  Craig Tyle

Seconded.

(BA, Philosophy 2012)

0
BDF
14 years ago
Reply to  Craig Tyle

Thirded. BA philosophy ’96.

0
Dudermensch
14 years ago

Yeah. That was…well…overwrought, to say the least. Good hustle, though.

There are no doubt tons of parallels between Wittgenstein’s language philosophy and Nerdball jargon. Seems to me Wittgenstein’s undeniable greatness is found outside of his teaching and early writings, first finding zen monotony in the physical activity of gardening as a respite from the uptight thinking of the Tractatus, then takin’ it easy in the green mountains of Connemara after trashing his own Tractatus. These later writings, posthumously released as Philosophical Investigations (1953), still got some swagger today.

The playful idea of “language games,” for instance, could’ve been a more fruitful point of departure for talking about the linguistic practices surrounding baseball.

Anyhoo, I know it’s the off-season and the weather sucks ass (at least here in Scandinavia), but may I be so bold as to suggest we all go out and engage in some healthy unintellectual activity, like Wiffle Ball, to keep our minds limber….

0
BurleighGrimes
14 years ago

Wittgenstein is my main man.

0
Craig TyleMember since 2016
14 years ago

Wittgenstein on Pitching:

“What we cannot speak of in terms of FIP, we must pass over in silence.”

0