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Not a set of explicit rules, but rather the whole system of rules that determine the meaning and use of words in a language game.

A term used to describe how words may not have a single essence but are connected by a series of overlapping similarities, where no one feature is common to all.

A metaphor used by Wittgenstein to illustrate how his own philosophical propositions should be used to understand language and then discarded once they have served their purpose.

Wittgenstein's challenge to the idea that categories have fixed, essential characteristics that determine membership in the category, emphasizing instead the fluidity and contextual basis of meaning.

This concept encapsulates the idea that the meaning of a word is determined by how it is used in language games, rather than by some intrinsic essence.

A metaphor in Wittgenstein's philosophy indicating that words have specific uses and functions, much like tools in a toolbox.

This idea captures how our perception of things can shift and is not fixed, akin to seeing a picture sometimes one way and sometimes another, which is used to understand how language can be flexible.

A key aspect of language games where the meaning of words is bound up with the rules and customs of their use within a specific form of life.

This approach in Wittgenstein's philosophy highlights the context-dependent nature of language understanding and how semantic content can vary based on context.

Wittgenstein's early work where he develops the picture theory of meaning and later critiques these ideas in his work on language games and forms of life.

A theory of meaning that emphasizes how the significance of a word is determined by the rules governing its use in a language game, and not by any kind of intrinsic nature.

Wittgenstein's later work which articulates his views on language games, forms of life, rule-following, and the philosophical problems arising from misunderstandings of language.

The philosophical argument that a language understandable by only a single individual is incoherent, because language presupposes a form of life and rule-following that is not private.

A central concept in Wittgenstein's later philosophy illustrating how the meaning of words is determined by their function in a specific form of life and context of social interaction, just like games have certain rules and contexts.

Wittgenstein's argument against the possibility of a language that could be understood only by the individual who speaks it, emphasizing the inherently social character of language.

These refer to the complex cultural and societal contexts in which language games are played, influencing the rules and meanings of language in different situations.

An analogy by Wittgenstein about private experiences where the contents of the box (one's mind) are private and unknowable to others, but still, our language about these contents is shared and understandable.