On "directness" of inference in Wittgenstein's 'Philosophical Investigations'

The paper deals with later Wittgenstein's criticism of his own early concep tion of ostensive definitions as well as with his criticism of general pres uppositions, on which is early position was based. It was inadequate, he sa id, because it presupposed that language has only one function, namely, to state facts. Later Wittgenstein emphasized that there are many different us es of what we call "words" or "sentences". Words are like "tools in a tool- box" and functions of words are as diverse as the functions of these object s. "Look at the sentence as an instrument", he said, "and at its sense as i ts employment".