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Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus · Chapter
6.1262 explained
Proof in logic is merely a mechanical device used to recognize tautologies when they become complex.
What happens
Proof in logic is merely a mechanical device used to recognize tautologies when they become complex.
Themes in this chapter
Logic and Tautology
Proof in logic is a mechanical expedient for recognizing tautologies.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Wittgenstein
Author of the proposition
Key passages
“Proof in logic is only a mechanical expedient to facilitate the recognition of tautology, where it is complicated.”
Logical proof is just a practical tool to help us see that a complex statement is a tautology.
Clarifies the role of proof in logic as a heuristic, not a source of new truth.