Tag: Wittgenstein

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Note | Wittgenstein’s Language Game

What is Language Game

Language game (Sprachspiel) is the central theory or the kew concept of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s later philosophy.

The definition of language game is ”activities of people follow a rule” of which model is language and its activity, and it can apply all of human activities, expression and behaviours.

For philosophers of the Modern philosophy and the former philosophy of Wittgenstein, language is a tool reflects the fact. But the former philosophy of Wittgenstein turned the view point to language.

Metaphor of Chess

First, Wittgenstein think language as a metaphor of chess. Like chess meanings of words and sentences are relative, and they are regulated by several rules.

Same as chess, language is consist of an unity of various rules. A meaning of a word is a position in which a word occupies. To know a meaning of a word is to know the usage of a word.

And, Wittgenstein adapted language game to all of human acts and behaviours.

Language is Activity

Wittgenstein thought the essence of language is human activity. Wittgenstein grasped language as a dynamic use or act in an actual scene. Because, all statements and perceptions in activity are done by a purpose or a view point.

Our society is network of language game. Language game made us be capable of use language, is a thing sustain the world we live, also is realized by form of life (Lebensform).

Game Precedes Rules / Rules Has Not A Reason

On language, acts precede a grammar. We can play a language game naturally, despite we don’t know the whole rules and we only know fragments of rules.

Then, why do words have meanings ? And, how come words can indicate things ? Because, in language game, words are connected to meanings and things by rules.

But it can’t be guaranteed. It’s only enough to understand rules and to behave following rules. Also we can’t explain all of rules, need not to be aware it. So rules has no absolute reason or root. Rules is being composed in an activity of a language game.

Family Resemblance

Any language games aren’t completely different. Also all language games has not identical essences and contents. But tennis, table tennis and squash are different language games, but they are resemble. And politics, commerce, war, football and jazz performance are partly resemble. Language games forms a network by their resemblances. Wittgenstein named this characteristics of language game family resemblance.

Relativism / Intellectualism

There are many language games in the world. Each of them is a relative thing. But you need to choose one of them by your subjectivity. So, on language game, Intellectualism and relativism are compatible with each other.

Conclusion

From ancient times, philosophers investigated cause or motive on a society or of the world. But Wittgenstein’s language game is groundless fact and act have no cause and necessity. Wittgenstein criticized this bad habit of philosophers. Language game only realized in acts and is sustained by form of life. This view of Wittgenstein is acute rebuke to intellectualism or voluntarism of the Western philosophy. By the concept of family resemblance, essentialism from Plato is denied.

Language game is a theory of philosophy as anti-philosophy. It deconstructed intellectualism and humane subjectivity, the root of philosophy. And the concept of language game resembles Saussurean linguistics, also preceded post-structuralism and post-modernism. Language game opened up the possibility of pluralism, anti-essentialism and anti-intellectualism is valid in the contemporary world.

References

A. C. Grayling, Wittgenstein: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2001)

Daisaburo Hashizume, Language Game for Beginners (Kodansha, 2009)

Paul Strathern, Wittgenstein in 90 Minutes (Ivan R. Dee, 1996)

Ray Monk, How to Read Wittgenstein (W. W. Norton, 2005)

Hitoshi Imamura, 101 People of the Contemporary Thought (Shinshokan, 1999)

Shigeto Nuki, Illustrated & Standard History of Philosophy (Shinshokan, 2008)

Shigeto Nuki, Philosophy Map (Chikuma New Books, 2004)

Seiji Takeda & Ken Nishi, The First Histoty of Philosophy: To Think Profoundly (Yuhikaku, 1998)

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‘Wittgenstein in 90 Minutes’ by Paul Strathern, Ivan R. Dee

‘Wittgenstein in 90 Minutes’ by Paul Strathern is an very very short introduction to Wittgenstein. This book is a very short, brief and amusing guide book to Wittgenstein’s philosophy. The main content ‘Wittgenstein’s Life & Works’ is a biographical description of Wittgenstein’s life along with works and philosophy. Biographical description composes from Wittgenstein’s family circumstances and his student days, through the encounter to mathematical logic and Bertrand Russell, his concentration on Philosophy at a hut in Norway, serving in the army during the World War Ⅰ and publishing ‘Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus’, to his roaming of way of life (became a teacher, designed Haus Wittgenstein and returned to Cambridge), later philosophy of ‘Philosophical Investigations’ and the rest of his life. The description includes historical and cultural contexts, his unique characteristics of isolation, insanity and holiness. Strathern emphasis influence of Christianity to Wittgenstein and his peculiar religious viewpoint and stance. Similarly, Strathern mentions unique standpoint and stance to philosophy of Wittgenstein. In Wittgenstein religion, way of life, logic and philosophy (how to use language) were connected by his peculiar ascetic manner of thinking. For example ‘Even Wittgenstein’s religion had to assume a logical force and clarity.’ ‘There was something problematic about the world, and this we called its meaning. But this meaning did not lie within the world, it lay outside it. “The meaning of Life, i.e., the meaning of the world we can call God.” According to Wittgenstein, to pray was to think about the meaning of life.’

In this book Strathern is successful in wrote Wittgenstein’s peculiar ascetic and ethical stance and manner of philosophy. And commentary of ‘Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus’ is essential and great. Wittgenstein thought ‘The limit of language are the limits of thought, because this too cannot be illogical. We cannot go beyond language, for do so would be to go beyond the limits of logical possibility’.
But I think it’s pity, philosophical commentaries of this book is not many. And description of Wittgenstein’s later philosophy in ‘Philosophical Investigations’ is very concise and describe almost only the comparison to philosophy of ‘Tractatus’. Because the author may not regard it as important.
This book is a brief interesting biography and just only a mere introduction to Wittgenstein.