picture theory of language
E53951
The picture theory of language is Ludwig Wittgenstein’s early philosophical view that meaningful propositions function as logical “pictures” of possible states of affairs in the world.
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
philosophical theory
ⓘ
semantic theory ⓘ theory in analytic philosophy ⓘ theory of meaning ⓘ |
| associatedWithWork | Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus ⓘ |
| claimsAboutLanguage |
names in propositions correspond to objects in the world
ⓘ
the combination of names in a proposition corresponds to the combination of objects in a state of affairs ⓘ the world is the totality of facts, not of things, and language pictures these facts ⓘ |
| claimsAboutLogic |
logic describes the scaffolding of the world and of language
ⓘ
logical constants do not represent objects but show the logical form of propositions ⓘ |
| claimsAboutMeaning |
meaning is tied to the conditions under which a proposition is true or false
ⓘ
the sense of a proposition is the possible state of affairs it represents ⓘ |
| coreClaim |
a proposition represents a possible state of affairs by sharing logical form with it
ⓘ
a proposition shows its sense through its logical structure ⓘ language and world share a common logical form ⓘ meaningful propositions are logical pictures of possible states of affairs ⓘ nonsense arises when language is used in ways that do not picture possible states of affairs ⓘ only propositions that can picture possible states of affairs are meaningful ⓘ propositions are models of reality ⓘ the structure of a meaningful proposition mirrors the structure of the reality it depicts ⓘ to understand a proposition is to know what is the case if it is true ⓘ |
| criticizedBy |
Ludwig Wittgenstein
ⓘ
surface form:
later Ludwig Wittgenstein
|
| criticizedInWork | Philosophical Investigations ⓘ |
| developedBy | Ludwig Wittgenstein ⓘ |
| epistemicStatus | largely abandoned by its originator in his later philosophy ⓘ |
| field |
logic
ⓘ
metaphysics ⓘ philosophy of language ⓘ |
| historicalPeriod | early 20th century ⓘ |
| influenced |
Vienna Circle
ⓘ
logical positivism ⓘ truth-conditional semantics ⓘ verificationism ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
Bertrand Russell
ⓘ
Gottlob Frege ⓘ |
| involvesConcept |
elementary proposition
ⓘ
fact ⓘ logical form ⓘ picturing ⓘ possible world ⓘ representation ⓘ sense ⓘ state of affairs ⓘ truth-conditions ⓘ |
| limitationClaim |
cannot adequately account for all uses of language, such as language games and ordinary practices
ⓘ
tends to exclude ethical, aesthetic, and metaphysical statements as nonsensical ⓘ |
| philosophicalContext |
early analytic philosophy
ⓘ
logical atomism ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
picture theory of meaning
ⓘ
representational theory of language ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.