‘Logic Is Transcendental’
Content, Isomorphism and Intentionality in Wittgenstein's Logic of Depiction
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17568175 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Simone Nota (0000-0002-5812-0465, Institute of Philosophy Zagreb Croatia, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Philosophical Investigations (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0190-0536 • E-ISSN: 1467-9205 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/phin.70026 |
| OpenAlex | W7158231749 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 49 |
According to most readers of the Tractatus , Wittgenstein's logic is empty or contentless, since it consists of tautologies that do not picture reality. This view, however, does not explain how and why Wittgenstein's ‘logic of depiction’ is transcendental (T, 4.015 and 6.13), especially given that Kant introduced transcendental logic through the notion of content. In this paper, I propose a transcendental interpretation of Wittgenstein's logic, as logic of depiction. On this view, Wittgenstein's logic has a transcendental content , namely the formal rules of combination internal to the subject's speech about objects. In fact, I argue that there are two interrelated pillars of Wittgenstein's transcendental logic: isomorphism , whereby objects constitute the common form of language and reality, and intentionality , as our capacity to pictorially relate to objects in language. Tautologies turn out to be dispensable by‐products of pictures and, thus, of the transcendental (i.e., content‐endowed) logic of depiction. The result is a reconception of Wittgenstein's logic, grounded in a systematic comparison with Kant
Depiction · Intentionality · Transcendental number · Transcendental philosophy · Philosophical Ethics and Theory · Philosophy and Theoretical Science · Wittgensteinian philosophy and applications
Wittgenstein's Tractatus
Wittgenstein on Logic as the Method of Philosophy
Propositions, Functions, and Analysis
Critique of Pure Reason
Lectures on Logic
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
Logicism and Logical Truth
The transcendentals in the middle ages
The Twenty-Five Years of Philosophy
The Generality of Kant's Transcendental Logic
Reason, Truth and History
The Transcendental Turn
Kant and the Capacity to Judge
Logic as calculus and logic as language
Frege, Kant, and the Logic in Logicism
The Relation between Wittgenstein's Picture Theory of Propositions and Russell's Theories of Judgment
On the Necessity of the Categories
Engagement and Metaphysical Dissatisfaction
Transcendental Philosophy and Naturalism
On Wittgenstein's Kantian solution of the problem of philosophy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |