don't think, but look!" - Meaning and context.">
§ 66

Don't say: “They must have something in common, or they would not be called ‘games’" but look and see whether there is anything common to all. For if you look at them, you won't see something that is common to all, but similarities, affinities, and a whole series of them at that. To repeat: don't think, but look!

— Ludwig Wittgenstein

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Don't say: “They must have something in common, or they would not be called ‘games’" but look and see whether there is anything common to all. For if you look at them, you won't see something that is common to all, but similarities, affinities, and a whole series of them at that. To repeat: don't think, but look!" in the context of "§ 66" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Ludwig Wittgenstein" (Quotes, Philosophical Investigations (1953)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Ludwig Wittgenstein

About Ludwig Wittgenstein

Ludwig Wittgenstein (26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian-born philosopher who spent much of his life in England.