# 3.11 explained — Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

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

## What happens

Wittgenstein explains that the perceptible sign of a proposition (spoken or written) serves as a projection of a possible state of affairs, and the method of this projection is the thinking of the proposition's sense.

## Themes in this chapter

### Picture Theory of Language

The proposition as a projection of a possible state of affairs directly relates to the picture theory, where language depicts reality.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Wittgenstein

Author of the proposition; presents the theory of projection.

## Key lines

> We use the sensibly perceptible sign (sound or written sign, etc. ) of the proposition as a projection of the possible state of affairs.

The physical form of a proposition (spoken or written) is used to map onto a potential situation in reality.

_Clarifies the role of the propositional sign as a projection._

> The method of projection is the thinking of the sense of the proposition.

The way we connect the sign to the situation is through the act of thinking about what the proposition means.

_Defines the mental process that links language to reality._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se/chapters/3-11
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se/chapters