Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus · Chapter
6.45 explained
Wittgenstein describes the mystical feeling as the contemplation of the world as a limited whole, sub specie aeterni.
What happens
Wittgenstein describes the mystical feeling as the contemplation of the world as a limited whole, sub specie aeterni.
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
- Ethics and the Mystical
This proposition directly defines the mystical feeling as the contemplation of the world as a limited whole, a key aspect of the ethical and mystical dimension of the Tractatus.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Wittgenstein
Author of the proposition, presenting the mystical feeling as the contemplation of the world as a limited whole.
Key passages
“The contemplation of the world sub specie aeterni is its contemplation as a limited whole.”
Viewing the world from an eternal perspective means seeing it as a bounded totality.
Clarifies the meaning of sub specie aeterni in Wittgenstein's context.
“The feeling that the world is a limited whole is the mystical feeling.”
The mystical feeling is the sense that the world is a finite, complete whole.
Identifies the mystical feeling with the perception of the world's limits.
