Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus · Chapter
3.1432 explained
Wittgenstein distinguishes between the proposition as a complex sign and the fact that the constituent signs stand in a certain relation, which is what actually depicts the state of affairs.
What happens
Wittgenstein distinguishes between the proposition as a complex sign and the fact that the constituent signs stand in a certain relation, which is what actually depicts the state of affairs.
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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
- Picture Theory of Language
The proposition's structure mirrors the structure of the fact it represents, as shown by the relation between signs.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Wittgenstein
Author of the Tractatus, presenting the picture theory of language.
Key passages
“We must not say, “The complex sign ‘ a R b ’ says ‘ a stands in relation R to b ’ ”; but we must say, “ That ‘ a ’ stands in a certain relation to ‘ b ’ says that a R b ”.”
Do not claim that the composite symbol 'a R b' asserts that a is related to b by R. Instead, the fact that the symbol 'a' is placed in a specific relation to the symbol 'b' is what conveys that a is related to b.
Wittgenstein emphasizes that the proposition's depicting power lies in the actual configuration of its parts, not in the mere concatenation of names.
