Reflecting on the pursuit of meaning

The user is asking if all pursuits of meaning are reduced to Wittgenstein's language games. One perspective is Wittgenstein’s view of language as a social practice. Derrida’s différance suggests meaning is always deferred. Pragmatists like James focus on practical consequences, while phenomenologists emphasize lived experience. You could argue the meaning has multiple layers, with world, practice, and language interacting. It's a mix of perspectives: subjective lived experience, grounded symbols, and language use. Could be an interesting exploration!

Answer to the question of meaning and language games

Thesis: 不必. (Not all meaning is reduced to language games.)

• Some meaning is pre-linguistic, embodied, and deeply tied to experience, like pain or infant pointing.
• Language plays a role in shaping these meanings, but it doesn’t fully constitute them.
• In social contexts, shared meaning relies heavily on "language games" (e.g., money, law, social norms).
• Meaning-as-use works when language is grounded in concrete contexts; it struggles with ineffable experiences but still finds ways to express them.
• Some experiences, though, may always transcend language.

Thought for 11s