Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus · Chapter
5.5571 explained
Wittgenstein argues that attempting to provide elementary propositions a priori results in obvious nonsense, as such propositions cannot be given in advance of empirical investigation.
What happens
Wittgenstein argues that attempting to provide elementary propositions a priori results in obvious nonsense, as such propositions cannot be given in advance of empirical investigation.
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Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
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Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Logical Atomism
The impossibility of giving elementary propositions a priori challenges the foundational assumption of logical atomism.
- Nonsense and Meaning
Attempting to give elementary propositions a priori leads to obvious nonsense, highlighting the boundary between sense and nonsense.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Wittgenstein
Author of the proposition, asserting the impossibility of giving elementary propositions a priori.
Key passages
“If I cannot give elementary propositions a priori then it must lead to obvious nonsense to try to give them.”
Since elementary propositions cannot be specified in advance of experience, any attempt to do so results in patent absurdity.
Wittgenstein emphasizes the empirical basis of elementary propositions.
