# 4.26 explained — Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

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

## What happens

The world is completely described by specifying all elementary propositions and determining which are true and which are false.

## Themes in this chapter

### Logical Atomism

The description of the world through elementary propositions and their truth values reflects the logical atomist view that reality is composed of atomic facts.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Wittgenstein

Author of the proposition

## Key lines

> The specification of all true elementary propositions describes the world completely.

Listing every true elementary proposition gives a full account of the world.

_Emphasizes the completeness of description via elementary propositions._

> The world is completely described by the specification of all elementary propositions plus the specification, which of them are true and which false.

A complete description of the world requires both the list of all elementary propositions and the truth values assigned to each.

_Clarifies that truth values are essential for a full description._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se/chapters/4-26
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se/chapters