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Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus · Chapter
2.012 explained
Wittgenstein asserts that in logic, nothing is accidental; the possibility of a thing occurring in an atomic fact is already inherent in the thing itself.
What happens
Wittgenstein asserts that in logic, nothing is accidental; the possibility of a thing occurring in an atomic fact is already inherent in the thing itself.
Themes in this chapter
Logical Atomism
The proposition discusses the inherent possibility of a thing occurring in an atomic fact, a core concept of logical atomism.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Wittgenstein
Author of the proposition
Key passages
“In logic nothing is accidental: if a thing can occur in an atomic fact the possibility of that atomic fact must already be prejudged in the thing.”
In logic, there are no coincidences: if an object can be part of a basic state of affairs, that possibility is already built into the object itself.
Clarifies the deterministic nature of logical possibility.