Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

Historical Context and Significance

Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is a foundational work by Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, which had a profound impact on the development of analytical philosophy and logical positivism in the 20th century. First published in 1921, the Tractatus was Wittgenstein's attempt to delineate the boundaries of language and thought, asserting that the task of philosophy is to clarify thoughts through language. This work radically altered the understanding of the structure of language, its connection to reality, and the nature of philosophical problems, influencing numerous philosophical movements and fields of knowledge.