Incompatibility, inconsistency, and logical analysis in Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

Abstract

Statements of degree appear to falsify basic doctrines in Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. I offer a fresh formulation of the challenge and assess a solution proposed on Wittgenstein's behalf by Sarah Moss. I find that Moss's proposal fails. The proposal rides in part on novel interpretations of pronouncements by Wittgenstein on the nature of the elementary proposition. I find that the interpretations cannot be sustained but that Moss's textual case hints at important and overlooked features of the Tractarian program. I develop Wittgenstein's comparison of propositions to measuring instruments and apply it throughout, showing that it captures philosophical commitments in Tractatus that otherwise tend to slip from view.