Wittgenstein (Part 2) - The Unravelling of the Tractatus

On The Very Idea - A Philosophy Podcast

In this second part of a three part series, I continue looking at Wittgenstein's Tractatus. But as we examine Wittgenstein's attempt to provide a pictorial theory of language, the tight argumentation of the Tractatus begins to unravel. The Tractatus is quite beautiful in its scope and sparseness but ultimately Wittgenstein needs to employ a theoretical gimmick that has become known as WIttgenstein's Ladder to attempt to save his ambitious theory. Also, the usual trivia and rambling.