So in what light should we see Wittgenstein? — Mongrel
(7) [my emphasis]I shall also call the whole, consisting of language and the actions into which it is woven, the "language-game".
(23)Here the term "language-game" is meant to bring into prominence the fact that the speaking of language is part of an activity, or of a form of life.
I think that your view of having "a transcendent viewpoint on language" is the kind of metaphysics that Wittgenstein is trying to dispel with his introduction of language games. But please clarify if this does not address your enquiry about language games. — Luke
Each has rules. As TGW says, professional rigour sometimes tries to partition off ordinary language meanings from meanings in professional practice. — mcdoodle
But it does not imply that W. denied the existence of meaning. Instead he just had nothing to say on it one way or the other. — ernestm
One of the main aims of Wittgenstein's later philosophy (or philosophical therapy) is to "bring words back from their metaphysical to their everyday use." (116) Language games are one of the devices that Wittgenstein uses to restore some perspective and ground language as an activity rather than as some idealised abstraction: the received view of many philosophers. As Wittgenstein puts it: — Luke
Sorry.. not quite following you. What strict philosophical use? — Mongrel
sn't this what Wittgenstein means by language going on holiday? — John
That is, W. accepts the existence of causality attached to speech acts, but not meaning attached to words. — ernestm
What you say is entirely in accordance with what I was getting at, though; which is that philosophers formulate new definitions and qualifications of terms in order to clarify problems that, in a sense, already exist (in the sense of being implicit). — John
So, if W means to say that the philosophical usage of the term 'substance' creates the philosophical problem of substance, I am wondering whether, instead, the various (but related both to each other and ordinary usage) philosophical definitions of 'substance' evolve out of the need to find ways to formulate and imagine clearly already (perhaps not so clearly) imagined philosophical problems. — John
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