The Beginning of Philosophy from the Viewpoint of Later Wittgenstein and Hegel

This is a comparative investigation of the views held by two philosophers (one practicing analytic philosophy and the other German idealism) regarding the foundation and beginning of philosophy. However, the article mainly addresses later Wittgenstein’s. The fact that Hegel and later Wittgenstein hold different views about the nature of philosophy and its methods and missions makes the discussion difficulty but interesting. With an emphasis on the foundation and beginning of philosophy, the researcher conducts a comparative study of their views about the social nature of language, private language, another, desire, form of life, essentialism, Platonism, Descartism, holism, doubt and certainty, groundless belief, worldview, subjectivity, description and clarification, rationalism, modern subjectivism, sense, and so on. The two share a belief in common sense or social discourse as well as the necessity of another. Another has a strong presence in their approach to the foundation of philosophy. The same is true about action. Philosophy has no foundation in absence of common sense, social discourse, and action. Their main areas of difference are essentialism, holism, and description and clarification. Finally, some areas for further research are suggested.