Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

Author:

Publisher: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner

Published:

ISBN: 9780415254083

Genre: literature

Pages: 75

Format: eBook

Language: en

Description

Wittgenstein's early masterpiece of philosophical logic that explores the relationship between language and reality, arguing that the structure of language reflects the structure of the world.

Topics

Logic, philosophy of language, meaning, limits of thought, metaphysics

Detailed Description

The 'Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus' is Ludwig Wittgenstein's groundbreaking work that revolutionized philosophical thinking about language, logic, and the relationship between thought and reality. Written during World War I while Wittgenstein served in the Austrian army, the work presents a remarkably concise and systematic approach to understanding the nature and limits of language. Organized through a hierarchical numbering system of propositions, the Tractatus advances the picture theory of meaning, wherein meaningful language must correspond to possible states of affairs in the world. Wittgenstein famously concludes that many traditional philosophical problems arise from misunderstandings of language's logic, and that 'whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.' This profound work influenced logical positivism and analytic philosophy, though Wittgenstein himself later rejected many of its central ideas in his subsequent philosophy.

About the Author

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein (1889-1951) was an Austrian-British philosopher whose work revolutionized philosophy of language, logic, and mind. Born into one of Europe's wealthiest families in Vienna, Wittgenstein initially studied engineering before turning to mathematical logic under Bertrand Russell's influence at Cambridge. His philosophical development is often divided into two distinct periods: his early work culminating in the 'Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus' (1921), and his later philosophy represented in 'Philosophical Investigations' (published posthumously in 1953), which substantially revised his earlier views. After completing the Tractatus, Wittgenstein left philosophy, working as a schoolteacher, gardener, and architect before returning to Cambridge in 1929. Despite publishing only one book during his lifetime, Wittgenstein's influence on 20th-century philosophy has been profound, particularly in analytic philosophy. His unusual personal intensity, moral seriousness, and unconventional lifestyle have made him an object of fascination beyond philosophical circles.

Key Characters

  • Non-fiction: As a philosophical treatise, this work does not contain fictional characters in the traditional sense.

Keywords

Ludwig Wittgenstein, analytic philosophy, philosophy of language, logical atomism, picture theory of meaning, logical positivism, Vienna Circle, limits of language, metaphysics, logical form, propositional logic, truth functions, philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of logic, tautology, saying and showing, meaning and use, states of affairs, Russell's influence, early Wittgenstein, logical analysis, linguistic philosophy, atomic facts, elementary propositions, truth conditions, logical space, nonsense, ineffability, mystical, symbolic logic, philosophy of science, solipsism, Bertrand Russell, Gottlob Frege, logical notation, philosophical problems, theory of meaning, philosophical logic, Cambridge philosophy, Austrian philosophy

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