Wittgenstein's Form of Life (To Imagine a Form of Life, I)

__Wittgenstein's Form of Life__ reveals the intricate relationship between language and life throughout Ludwig Wittgenstein's work. Drawing on the entire corpus of his writings, David Kishik offers a synoptic view of Wittgenstein's evolving thought by considering the notion of form of life as its vanishing center. **The book takes its cue from the idea that ‘to imagine a language means to imagine a form of life', in order to present the first holistic account of Wittgenstein's philosophy in the spirit of a new wave of interpretations, pioneered by Stanley Cavell, Cora Diamond and James Conant. It is also an enticing contribution to the rising discourse revolving around the subject of life, led by the recent work of Giorgio Agamben. Standing on the threshold between the Analytic and the Continental philosophical traditions, Kishik shows how Wittgenstein's philosophy of language points toward a new philosophy of life, thereby making a unique contribution to our ethical and political thought.** In this study David Kishik reveals the intricate relationship between language and life throughout Ludwig Wittgenstein's writings. Taking his cue from the idea that 'to imagine a language means to imagine a form of life,' Kishik draws on the entire Wittgensteinian oeuvre in order to offer a holistic and synoptic view of this evolving thought. Wittgenstein's Form of Life is a continuation of the work of some of the most influential and provocative Wittgenstein scholars in America today, like Stanley Cavell, Cora Diamond, and James Conant. But it is also a contribution to the recent revival of the subject of life in Europe, led by the work of Giorgio Agamben, and in tandem with a long line of philosophers - such as Nietzsche, Bergson, Arendt, Foucault, and Deleuze - who place the concept of life at the center of their thought. As a whole, the book demonstrates how Wittgenstein's philosophy of language points toward a new philosophy of life, and helps us, indeed, to imagine a form of life. Contents 8 Acknowledgments 9 List of Abbreviations 10 Introduction: World 12 1. Form 20 1.1 20 1.2 23 1.3 26 1.4 29 1.5 32 1.6 36 2. Picture 38 2.1 38 2.2 41 2.3 44 2.4 46 2.5 51 2.6 54 3. Meaning 57 3.1 57 3.2 59 3.3 63 3.4 65 3.5 69 3.6 73 4. Philosophy 77 4.1 77 4.2 81 4.3 84 4.4 87 4.5 91 4.6 94 5. Grammar 96 5.1 96 5.2 98 5.3 102 5.4 105 5.5 109 5.6 112 6. Certainty 114 6.1 114 6.2 116 6.3 121 6.4 124 6.5 127 6.6 129 Epilogue: Threshold 131 Notes 142 Introduction 142 Chapter 1 143 Chapter 2 144 Chapter 3 144 Chapter 4 146 Chapter 5 147 Chapter 6 148 Epilogue 149 Bibliography 150 Index 156 Introduction: World Chapter 1 Form Chapter 2 Picture Chapter 3 Meaning Chapter 4 Philosophy Chapter 5 Grammar Chapter 6 Certainty Epilogue: Threshold The author examines the relationship between language and life throughout Wittgenstein's writings