Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus · Chapter
3.328 explained
Wittgenstein argues that if a sign is not necessary for the functioning of symbolism, it is meaningless, thereby interpreting Occam's razor as a principle of logical economy.
What happens
Wittgenstein argues that if a sign is not necessary for the functioning of symbolism, it is meaningless, thereby interpreting Occam's razor as a principle of logical economy.
Themes in this chapter
Nonsense and Meaning
The passage directly addresses when a sign becomes meaningless, tying necessity to meaningfulness.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Wittgenstein
Author of the proposition and interpreter of Occam's razor.
Key passages
“If a sign is not necessary then it is meaningless. That is the meaning of Occam’s razor.”
A symbol that serves no essential function in the logical system is devoid of sense; this is the core insight of Occam's razor.
Wittgenstein redefines Occam's razor as a logical principle about the necessity of signs.
“(If everything in the symbolism works as though a sign had meaning, then it has meaning.)”
If a sign behaves in the symbolic system exactly as if it were meaningful, then it is meaningful.
Meaning is determined by functional role within the symbolism, not by external reference.