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Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus · Chapter

2.0233 explained

Objects sharing the same logical form are distinguished solely by their numerical difference, not by any intrinsic or external properties.

What happens

Objects sharing the same logical form are distinguished solely by their numerical difference, not by any intrinsic or external properties.

Themes in this chapter

  • Logical Atomism

    The proposition addresses the individuation of objects with the same logical form, a core concern of logical atomism.

Characters to notice

Key passages

  • Two objects of the same logical form are⁠—apart from their external properties⁠—only differentiated from one another in that they are different.

    If two objects share the same logical form, their only distinction is that they are numerically distinct; no other internal or external property sets them apart.

    Clarifies the principle of individuation for objects of identical logical form.