Wittgenstein on Forms of Life

This Element describes Wittgenstein's concept of 'forms of life', while also explaining Wittgenstein's reluctance to say much about it. The Element examines the meaning of the term in Wittgenstein's time, presents a survey of Wittgenstein's employment of it, an overview of the literature, and finally, offers a methodological reading of this notion.

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The question of what Wittgenstein meant by 'forms of life' has attracted a great deal of attention in the literature, yet it is an expression that Wittgenstein himself employs on only a relatively small number of occasions, and that he does not explicitly define. This Element gives a description of this concept that also explains Wittgenstein's reluctance to say much about it. A short historical introduction examines the origins and uses of the term in Wittgenstein's time. The Element then presents a survey of Wittgenstein's employment of it, and an overview of the literature. Finally, the Element offers a methodological reading of this notion, interpreting it as a conceptual tool in Wittgenstein's wider inquiries into the workings of our language.