Reimagining Language: five powerful pictures from Wittgenstein's 'Philosophical Investigations'
- rachel
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
June 15, 2025
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) might be the most influential philosopher of the 20th Century. His first book (Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus) is a logical masterpiece and his second (Philosophical Investigation) turns it's eye onto language itself - offering us a tapestry of pictures and ideas that reimagine what is happening when we speak - leaving behind the idea of "Language as a way to transfer meaning".
I made a video exploring five of his powerful pictures that (together) illuminate what language is and what it does.
In 13 mins I speak to five of his pictures:
Picture 1. Language as an ANCIENT CITY - language isn't a thing we do but a place we live - it is made up of history and convention rather than rules - a place with many neighbourhoods that we can never fully "understand" but we can find our way around.
Picture 2. Language as GAMES WE PLAY - his most famous picture of Language-Games - here we look at language not as one thing but as a many "games" interwoven with specific activities - we then see that what things mean depends on context.
Picture 3. Language as FAMILY RESEMBLANCE - where we see concepts used in different contexts as having a network of similarities as in a family - we learn to recognise meaning from examples rather that being constrained by rigid definitions.
Picture 4. Language as a WOVEN THREAD - where we see continuity without an essence - how history keeps moving forward and concepts all expand and shift by being used - in the same way that separate fibres make up a thread.
Picture 5. Philosophy as ESCAPING THE FLY BOTTLE - how clearing up our language with everyday speech and pointing to examples has us avoid buzzing around exhausting ourselves.
I explore through pictures as a way to be truthful to the form and direction of Philosophical Investigations - where language isn't seen as something that can be understood conceptually. I ground these pictures in quotes from the book, speak in plain language, and explore some of the implications as I see them - both for me in my work and for you in yours.
Appreciate any comments/reflections and questuions - either here on on the video itself.
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