Tuesday, November 13, 2007

5.5521 And if this were not so, how could we apply logic? One could say: If there would be a logic, even if there were no world, then how could there be a logic, since there is a world?

Mysteriouser and mysteriouser. Logic is a priori. Perhaps that is all that 5.552 means. Now, if it were not, how could we use it? We would first have to find out how the world was. And how could we do that without logic? But he’s also saying something, or so it seems, about logic and the existence (not the nature) of the world. If logic is such that it would exist even without a world, then how can it still exist now that there is a world? If logic, perhaps that is to say, is so independent of the world as to be absolutely independent, then how can it exist or be applied here in the world, by worldly beings? I’m not sure I’m getting this.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You are getting it - logic is independent of the world, logic tells us nothing of the world and the world is not built upon logic. The whole purpose of the Tractatus is to show that logic is limited and worthless to solve any significant issues.