Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus · Chapter
6.342 explained
Wittgenstein compares logic and mechanics, illustrating that a network of a given form can describe a picture without asserting anything about it, but the fact that a picture can be completely described by a definite net of definite finenes
What happens
Wittgenstein compares logic and mechanics, illustrating that a network of a given form can describe a picture without asserting anything about it, but the fact that a picture can be completely described by a definite net of definite fineness does characterize it. Similarly, Newtonian mechanics describes the world without asserting anything about it, yet the possibility of such a description and the relative simplicity of different mechanical systems say something about the world.
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 Falling action.
- 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
- Logic and Tautology
The network of logic or mechanics asserts nothing about the picture or the world, akin to tautologies.
- Mechanics as a Descriptive Network
Newtonian mechanics is presented as a network that describes the world without asserting anything about it.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Wittgenstein
Author of the Tractatus, presenting the analogy between logic and mechanics.
Key passages
“That a picture like that instanced above can be described by a network of a given form asserts nothing about the picture.”
The mere fact that a picture can be described using a particular grid or system does not convey any information about the picture itself.
Wittgenstein emphasizes that the descriptive framework is neutral regarding the content it describes.
“So too the fact that it can be described by Newtonian mechanics asserts nothing about the world; but this asserts something, namely, that it can be described in that particular way in which as a matter of fact it is described.”
Similarly, the possibility of describing the world with Newtonian mechanics does not tell us anything about the world, but the actual way it is described does convey something.
The choice and applicability of a descriptive system reveal something about the world's structure.
