# 3.05 explained — Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

> Chapter companion for Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein.

## What happens

Wittgenstein considers the possibility of knowing a priori that a thought is true, if its truth could be recognized from the thought itself without comparison to an object.

## Themes in this chapter

### Limits of Language and Thought

Explores the boundary of what can be known a priori about the truth of a thought

### Logical Atomism

Considers the relation between thought and the objects of comparison in determining truth

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Wittgenstein

Author of the proposition

## Key lines

> Only if we could know a priori that a thought is true if its truth was to be recognized from the thought itself (without an object of comparison).

We could only know a thought is true in advance if its truth could be seen just from the thought, without needing to compare it to anything else.

_Clarifies the condition for a priori truth of a thought_

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se/chapters/3-05
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se/chapters