Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus · Chapter
5.22 explained
Wittgenstein defines an operation as the expression of a relation between the structures of its result and its bases, emphasizing the formal connection in logical operations.
What happens
Wittgenstein defines an operation as the expression of a relation between the structures of its result and its bases, emphasizing the formal connection in logical operations.
Themes in this chapter
Logical Atomism
The definition of operation in terms of structural relations aligns with the logical atomist view of complex propositions built from simpler ones.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Wittgenstein
Author of the proposition defining operation as a structural relation.
Key passages
“The operation is the expression of a relation between the structures of its result and its bases.”
An operation shows how the logical form of the output is related to the logical forms of the inputs.
Clarifies the formal nature of operations in logical syntax.