# 5.2521 explained — Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

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

## What happens

Wittgenstein defines the successive application of an operation as its repeated application to its own result, illustrating with the example of applying 'O'ξ' three times to 'a' to yield 'O'O'O'a'. He extends this notion to the successive application of several operations to multiple propositions.

## Themes in this chapter

### Logical Atomism

The discussion of operations and their successive application relates to the construction of complex propositions from elementary ones.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Wittgenstein

Author of the Tractatus, defining the concept of successive application of operations.

## Key lines

> The repeated application of an operation to its own result I call its successive application

Applying an operation over and over to what it produces is what I mean by successive application.

_Clarifies the iterative nature of operations in logical syntax._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se/chapters/5-2521
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se/chapters