ABSTRACT
In this paper I consider what games are. I examine, more particularly, a challenge to the Wittgensteinian approach to this question, a challenge which has lately won the praise of a number of philosophers. Near the beginning of the paper I register a contingent connection with the person who is the subject of the present festschrift. Otherwise, the paper does not directly engage with Hillel Steiner’s work. However, it is animated by the ambition of analytical rigour that has been a hallmark of his writings, and it grapples with methodological issues which-in their general bearingshave occupied his attention. Moreover, my methodological focus aligns my essay to some degree with certain other essays in this volume. I start by describing four activities.
