Of the handful of books I am reading right now, Ray Monk’s biography of Ludwig Wittgenstein has me most captivated. It’s actually cutting into my sleep time. But since I only have time to read before bed or while in the bathroom, I’ll just have to sleep less and take more fiber.

Wittgenstein does not sound much like a guy I’d want to hang out with. His difficult nature reminds me a bit of Charles S. Peirce. Indeed, both Wittgenstein and Peirce come to philosophy from mathematics, both forever insisted they could not be understood, both were difficult friends, and both lived rather poorly (Wittgenstein by choice; Peirce by lack of work).

I wonder if there is a biography on Peirce available that is as good as Monk’s on Wittgenstein.