Research On Wittgenstein’s Theory Of Meaning In The Later Period

Earlier Wittgenstein advocated propositional image theory,believing that the sum of propositions is language,language is the image of the world.He reveals the isomorphic relationship between language and the world through logical analysis,and uses logical images as a bridge between language and the world,thus clarifying the meaning of language.However,Wittgenstein changed this thought in the later period,from the image theory in the early period to the theory of language play in the later period.Philosophical Investigations is the representative work to clarify his later thought.In Wittgenstein’s view,language and reality are not isomorphic,and the meaning of language exists in language games.Wittgenstein defines the concept of language games and points out that they are public,diverse and similar.It is impossible for a private language to exist.Language and language games have no common essence,only family resemblance.The soul of Wittgenstein’s concept of language play is to obey the rules.Rules are based on language practice and life practice.They are inevitable,direct,unreflective and automatic.The basic concept of language games is life form.The form of life itself cannot be explained and explained,it needs to show its existence through language games.Imagining a language means imagining a form of life.Wittgenstein believes that the meaning of language lies in the use of language games in life.The meaning of a word lies in how it is used,not in what it says.The meaning of words cannot be separated from the form of life in which we live,which is a prerequisite for understanding and using meaning.On the basis of the theory of language game,Wittgenstein put forward the use of meaning theory,which has the characteristics of anti-essentialism and contextualism.Wittgenstein opposes the concept of common essence with family resemblance.He believes that there is no essential thing in anything,and there is no essential feature between language use and language game.Language use refers to the use of language games in a particular environment or a particular form of life.Meaning is not something independent of use.It depends on the use and rules of a word or statement in a certain context.Later Wittgenstein’s theory of meaning has exerted an important influence on the philosophy of daily language and the contemporary philosophy of language.On the one hand,it has an influence on Ryle’s concept of mind,Strawson’s descriptive metaphysics,Searle’s and Austin’s speech act theories.On the other hand,it promotes the development of anti-essentialism and contextualism.