理解的基础:生活形式和家族相似——维特根斯坦论理解的可能性

Foundation of Understanding:Form of Life and Family Resemblances:Wittgenstein's View on the Possibility of Understanding the Aliens

在后期维特根斯坦看来,理解不是一种心灵过程,而是一种根植于生活形式的能力。理解异族语言的可能性源于双方生活形式的相似性,即维特根斯坦的"家族相似"。家族相似是我们与世界打交道之始,通过和世界打交道形成语言、意义和生活形式的居间方式。这种居间方式决定了能够看到异族与我们共同的面相,理解对方的语言游戏规则。理解异族语言需要从生活形式出发看到与对方语言用法的相似性,从而知道如何使用对方的语言游戏。

According to Wittgenstein, the foundation of our understanding the aliens is the form of life which is the intertwining of aspects and language games. To understand language of the aliens, we have to go deep into their practices of lives, see the similar use of their language games with ours, and know how they obey their language rules. So our understanding depends on the family resemblances between our language games and theirs. ＂Family resemblances＂ are not something commonly found by reflection, but a metaphor of the resemblances of the intertwining of things in the work of language games. On the other hand, family resemblances are the mediate modes of our original contacting with the world, through which language meaning and our forms of life come into being.