Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus · Chapter
4.1221 explained
Wittgenstein defines an internal property of a fact as a 'feature' of that fact, drawing an analogy to facial features to illustrate how such properties are inherent and recognizable.
What happens
Wittgenstein defines an internal property of a fact as a 'feature' of that fact, drawing an analogy to facial features to illustrate how such properties are inherent and recognizable.
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…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Logical Atomism
The discussion of internal properties of facts relates to the atomic structure of facts and their constituent features.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Wittgenstein
Author of the proposition, introducing the concept of internal properties as features.
Key passages
“An internal property of a fact we also call a feature of this fact. (In the sense in which we speak of facial features.)”
An inherent characteristic of a fact can be described as one of its distinguishing traits, similar to how we talk about the features of a face.
Clarifies the terminology of internal properties by comparing them to observable facial features.
