Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus · Chapter
2.0123 explained
Wittgenstein argues that knowledge of an object entails complete knowledge of all its possible combinations in atomic facts, as these possibilities are inherent in the object's nature and cannot be discovered later.
What happens
Wittgenstein argues that knowledge of an object entails complete knowledge of all its possible combinations in atomic facts, as these possibilities are inherent in the object's nature and cannot be discovered later.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage marks the story’s dramatic climax because it presents the moment when the protagonist’s obsessive…
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Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Logical Atomism
Objects contain all possibilities of their occurrence in atomic facts, reflecting the atomistic structure of reality.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Wittgenstein
Author of the proposition, articulating the nature of objects and their possibilities.
Key passages
“If I know an object, then I also know all the possibilities of its occurrence in atomic facts.”
Knowing an object means understanding every way it can combine with others to form basic states of affairs.
Emphasizes the inherent determinacy of an object's combinatorial potential.
“A new possibility cannot subsequently be found.”
No new way for the object to occur in atomic facts can be discovered later.
Reinforces that the object's nature fully determines its possible relations.
