Wittgenstein on Forms of Life

This Element serves as a guide to Wittgenstein's notion of forms of life and the debates that it generated.

Anna Boncompagni (Author)

9781108931151, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 6 October 2022

75 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 0.5 cm, 0.14 kg

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.

1. Introduction
2. Forms of life in Wittgenstein's work
3. Interpretations of forms of life
4. Conclusion: the significance of forms of life
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Behavioural theory [Behaviourism JMAL], Western philosophy, from c 1900 - [HPCF], Philosophy of language [CFA]