Wittgenstein's Tractatus - Video 7 (English) - 4.1-4.128

In this series, we will look at Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. I have published a new Dutch translation of the book with Boom Uitgevers, which I will use in the Dutch version of these videos, but in these English videos we will be using the English translations.

[jonathanjonsson]

Amazing! I am so happy that this series is back :)

[larsentranslation]

Yes, I have been looking forward to this. Thank you. Victor, would you consider making a small selection of flashcards to share along with the videos? Remnote is a great tool, where you simply use the format: question == answer, which then creates flashcards for imprinting terms or key points to memory. This is my attempt, feel free to critique:

- What is the primary focus of Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus?→The nature of language, logic, and reality
- What is the main idea of the "Picture Theory of Language" in the Tractatus?→Language represents reality by depicting states of affairs as pictures.
- How does Wittgenstein describe the relationship between language and the world?→He argues that language and the world share a logical structure, and propositions are meaningful if they can picture facts about the world.
- What does Wittgenstein mean by "The limits of my language mean the limits of my world"?→The boundaries of our language determine the boundaries of what we can think and talk about.
- How does Wittgenstein define a "proposition" in the Tractatus?→A proposition is a statement that can be true or false and represents a possible state of affairs. (image: proposition propeller)
- What is Wittgenstein's view on metaphysics in the Tractatus?→He contends that metaphysical statements are nonsensical because they cannot be verified by experience or logical analysis.
- What does Wittgenstein mean by "logical space"?→The possible arrangements of objects that could exist in the world (a form of all possible worlds), which are represented by propositions.
- How does Wittgenstein address the concept of "truth functions" in the Tractatus?→He explains that the truth of propositions is determined by the truth functions of their components, which can be combined to form complex statements.
- What is the significance of Wittgenstein's concept of "syntax" in the Tractatus?→Syntax refers to the rules governing the structure of propositions, which must conform to logical principles to be meaningful.
- How does Wittgenstein's Tractatus influence the philosophy of language?→It laid the groundwork for logical positivism and later analytic philosophy, emphasizing the connection between language, logic, and reality.

[NoahThiel-cnen]

I’ve read the Tractatus about three or four times since you last posted 😂 still don’t understand it that well. Thanks for continuing the series, you’ve made me very happy.

[darillus]

Wittgenstein was up himself; we don't need the language police to tell us what proposition is right and wrong when it comes to articulating sentences