Wittgenstein's True Thoughts
Keywords:
20th century philosophy, Wittgenstein Ludwig, Tractatus logico-philosophicus, true thought, nonsensical propositionAbstract
The central remarks of the Tractatus are without substantial content or consequence, remarks at the boundaries of sense that dissolve into truth. While they say nothing, they encapsulate logical features of the language and the world. Unasserted, they express thoughts, the truth of which Wittgenstein takes to be unassailable and definitive. Asserted, they are out-and-out nonsense. What is manifest in linguistic practice is no more sayable – and no less significant – than what is manifest in logical truths, mathematical equations and the principles of mechanics.
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