Language-games and Forms of Life in Mathematics
-
Felix Mühlhölzer
Abstract
In §332 of PPF Wittgenstein writes: “The kind of certainty is the kind of language-game”. What he has in mind are mainly language-games of simple calculations, like adding and multiplying, including our characteristic ways to make sure that we calculated correctly. Later on, however, in the much-quoted §345 of PPF and still within discussions of calculations, Wittgenstein suddenly mentions ‘forms of life’: “What has to be accepted, the given, is - one might say - forms of life”.What is the function of the term “form of life” in this context? For Wittgenstein, the ‘kind of certainty’ involved in a language game, and the specific concept of certainty corresponding to it, are constitutive of the language- game because they are intimately connected with our actions characteristic of the game. The term “form of life”, on the other hand, does not aim at certainty, at least not directly. It has different functions. In the context of calculations as discussed in PPF, there are at least the following two: (a) “form of life” refers to the presuppositions of the respective language-game of calculation, and (b) it sheds light on other concepts - like the concept of number, for instance - that are important in connection with our understanding of the language game.
Abstract
In §332 of PPF Wittgenstein writes: “The kind of certainty is the kind of language-game”. What he has in mind are mainly language-games of simple calculations, like adding and multiplying, including our characteristic ways to make sure that we calculated correctly. Later on, however, in the much-quoted §345 of PPF and still within discussions of calculations, Wittgenstein suddenly mentions ‘forms of life’: “What has to be accepted, the given, is - one might say - forms of life”.What is the function of the term “form of life” in this context? For Wittgenstein, the ‘kind of certainty’ involved in a language game, and the specific concept of certainty corresponding to it, are constitutive of the language- game because they are intimately connected with our actions characteristic of the game. The term “form of life”, on the other hand, does not aim at certainty, at least not directly. It has different functions. In the context of calculations as discussed in PPF, there are at least the following two: (a) “form of life” refers to the presuppositions of the respective language-game of calculation, and (b) it sheds light on other concepts - like the concept of number, for instance - that are important in connection with our understanding of the language game.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Table of Contents V
- List of Abbreviations VII
- Introduction: The Form of Our Life with Language 1
-
Paths to Form(s) of Life
- The Rule of the Game (The Moment of Truth) 11
- Lebensformen: Living Logic 59
- Human Life and Self-consciousness. The Idea of ‘Our’ Form of Life in Hegel and Wittgenstein 93
- Duality, Force, Language-games and Our Form of Life 113
-
Form(s) of Life: the Very Idea
- Our Life with Truth 155
- Language-games, Lebensform, and the Ancient City 173
- Language-games and Forms of Life in Mathematics 193
- The Representation of Language 219
-
Form(s) of Life after Wittgenstein
- Wittgenstein and the Difficulty of What Normally Goes Without Saying 253
- Wittgenstein. Ordinary Language as Lifeform 277
- Hostage to a Stranger 305
- Biographical Notes 331
- Index 333
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Table of Contents V
- List of Abbreviations VII
- Introduction: The Form of Our Life with Language 1
-
Paths to Form(s) of Life
- The Rule of the Game (The Moment of Truth) 11
- Lebensformen: Living Logic 59
- Human Life and Self-consciousness. The Idea of ‘Our’ Form of Life in Hegel and Wittgenstein 93
- Duality, Force, Language-games and Our Form of Life 113
-
Form(s) of Life: the Very Idea
- Our Life with Truth 155
- Language-games, Lebensform, and the Ancient City 173
- Language-games and Forms of Life in Mathematics 193
- The Representation of Language 219
-
Form(s) of Life after Wittgenstein
- Wittgenstein and the Difficulty of What Normally Goes Without Saying 253
- Wittgenstein. Ordinary Language as Lifeform 277
- Hostage to a Stranger 305
- Biographical Notes 331
- Index 333
