> His later work in ethics and epistemology (that the article recommends, Philosophical Investigations) is hit or miss
A couple of things about this. Wittgenstein famously did not write much on ethics. A couple of lines in the Tractatus, no passages that I know of in Philosophical Investigations (not saying there are none, I just don't know of them).
I would rather say that the subject matter of Philosophical Investigations is Philosophy of Language and also Epistemology. To call it "hit or miss" is nowhere near the consensus view among philosophers, in fact one is compelled to say that it is the direct opposite of the view that contemporary philosophers hold. Given that the list in the article is rank-ordered and Philosophical Investigations is #1 should clue you into its status. Easily in the top three most important books in philosophy in the last 100 years.
A couple of things about this. Wittgenstein famously did not write much on ethics. A couple of lines in the Tractatus, no passages that I know of in Philosophical Investigations (not saying there are none, I just don't know of them).
He did give a lecture on ethics to the Heretic Society in Cambridge in 1929. It is short, here is the transcript: http://www.geocities.jp/mickindex/wittgenstein/witt_lec_et_e... Well worth the read, I don't think his position evolved from this.
I would rather say that the subject matter of Philosophical Investigations is Philosophy of Language and also Epistemology. To call it "hit or miss" is nowhere near the consensus view among philosophers, in fact one is compelled to say that it is the direct opposite of the view that contemporary philosophers hold. Given that the list in the article is rank-ordered and Philosophical Investigations is #1 should clue you into its status. Easily in the top three most important books in philosophy in the last 100 years.