Wittgenstein and Language

From Weekly I/O#31


We use language to think, and we cannot think through those we cannot express in language. Language is both the tool that helps us think and the limitation that confines our thinking.

Book: Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius

According to Ferdinand de Saussure, widely considered the father of modern linguistics, our thought would be an amorphous and indistinct mass without language. Primarily, it is language that is responsible for perceiving hypothetical concepts. Language itself is also restricting our perception and expression of thoughts.

Also, as Ludwig Wittgenstein said, “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world” and “All I know is what I have words for”.


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