Tractarian Functions are not Propositional Functions

The central claim is that in the Tractatus Wittgenstein refuses Russell's notion of propositional function, and Russell's notions of range of significance and types for variables. Drawing on Russell's notion of well-defined function, for which all values are given in advance, Wittgenstein takes a different approach, that propositions realise a common characteristic, the general form, this being definitional of the propositional. This common characteristic is a formal concept, an Urbild (prototype), demonstrable by definition by abstraction. What is novel is the delimitation of the notion of a function fx in 5.501, and the argument showing that the general form, which Wittgenstein regards as a variable, is immanent to its realisations.

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Publication Details

Journal
History and Philosophy of Logic
Published
2025-06-22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/01445340.2025.2509386
Primary Topic
Chemical synthesis and alkaloids
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Tractarian Functions are not Propositional Functions

Clare Hay
History and Philosophy of Logic
Chemical synthesis and alkaloids
article

Tractarian Functions are not Propositional Functions

Clare Hay
article en

Abstract

The central claim is that in the Tractatus Wittgenstein refuses Russell's notion of propositional function, and Russell's notions of range of significance and types for variables. Drawing on Russell's notion of well-defined function, for which all values are given in advance, Wittgenstein takes a different approach, that propositions realise a common characteristic, the general form, this being definitional of the propositional. This common characteristic is a formal concept, an Urbild (prototype), demonstrable by definition by abstraction. What is novel is the delimitation of the notion of a function fx in 5.501, and the argument showing that the general form, which Wittgenstein regards as a variable, is immanent to its realisations.

History and Philosophy of Logic
University of Reading (GB)
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 89%
Chemical synthesis and alkaloids
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Tractarian Functions are not Propositional Functions — Clare Hay · History and Philosophy of Logic (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS