There Is No Ground. Dynamism and Change in Forms of Life
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4396/20260607Keywords:
Wittgenstein, von Wright, forms of life, groundlessness, consentAbstract
In Wittgenstein’s later philosophy, the dynamics of change within a form of life is not a topic that scholars readily address. While commentators often highlight the themes of variability and pluralism in forms of life, the question of how forms of life differentiate remains challenging. However, Georg Henrik von Wright, one of Wittgenstein’s earliest scholars, saw a strong theorization of the dynamic and transformative component of forms of life. Starting from von Wright’s reflections, this paper will trace a path that focuses on and develops the idea of change in forms of life as found in the later Wittgenstein. Since forms of life rest on an unfounded background, they carve out a perimeter of existence that is sustained only by the—more or less—conscious consent of the participants in language-games. If the consent that leads to agreement on the practices of a form of life were to fail in daily routine, processes could be triggered that lead to change.
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