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Kevin -- I have heard the Sraffa Neopolitan gesture story so many times  
I think it must be true (although I have witnessed debates about whether  
it was a Neopolitan gesture or a Sicilian gesture!).  In any case, what is  
indisputable is Sraffa's influence on Wittgenstein's philosophical  
thinking--look at the acknowledgements in _Philosophical  
Investigations_ where W. describes Sraffa's impact on him as making  
him feel like a tree with all its branches cut off.  If the exact story about  
the gesture isn't true, it appears to reflect the spirit of Sraffa's impact.   
But John Davis can clear this all up! 
 
Mat   
 
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