Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus · Chapter
3.317 explained
Wittgenstein explains that the determination of the values of a propositional variable is achieved by describing the propositions that share a common mark.
What happens
Wittgenstein explains that the determination of the values of a propositional variable is achieved by describing the propositions that share a common mark. This description deals only with symbols and their form, not with their meaning, and asserts nothing about what is symbolized. The specific method of description is inessential.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- 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
The focus on propositional variables and their determination reflects the atomistic approach to breaking down propositions into their symbolic components.
- Limits of Language and Thought
The emphasis on describing symbols without reference to meaning highlights the boundaries of what language can express about reality.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Wittgenstein
Author of the Tractatus, presenting the nature of propositional variables and symbolic description.
Key passages
“The determination of the values of the propositional variable is done by indicating the propositions whose common mark the variable is.”
To assign values to a propositional variable, we point to the propositions that share a common feature, which the variable represents.
Clarifies the method of defining variables in logical notation.
“The determination will therefore deal only with symbols not with their meaning.”
So this assignment concerns only the symbols themselves, not what they stand for.
Emphasizes the formal, non-semantic nature of the determination.
