Wittgenstein's 'Picture-Theory' and the Aesthetic Experience of Clear Thoughts

Wilson, Dawn

Abstract

In the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus Wittgenstein appeals to clarity when he characterises the aim, task and results of philosophy. In this essay I suggest that his ‘picture theory’ of language implies that clarity has aesthetic significance in philosophical work. Wittgenstein claims that the task of philosophy is to make thoughts clear. In the‘picture theory’ of thought and language, a thought expressed in language is aproposition with a sense and a proposition is a picture of reality. The question I pose is: how should we construe clarity, if making a thought clear is making clear a picture of reality? Following a close analysis of the picture theory, paying particular attention to the notions of depicting, presenting and mirroring, I conclude that the result of philosophical work – the clarification of propositions – will be pleasurable, inexpressible and intrinsically valuable. For these reasons I suggest that the attainment of a clear thought is an aesthetic experience.

Citation

Wilson, D. (2011). Wittgenstein's 'Picture-Theory' and the Aesthetic Experience of Clear Thoughts. In R. Heinrich, E. Nemeth, W. Pichler, & D. Wagner (Eds.), Image and Imaging in Philosophy, Science and the Arts. Volume 1 (143-161). https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110330519.143

• Conference Name: 33rd International Ludwig Wittgenstein-Symposium, 2010
• Conference Location: Kirchberg
• Publication Date: 2011
• Deposit Date: Dec 19, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 27, 2022
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Pages: 143-161
• Series Title: Publications of the Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society – New Series
• Series Number: 16
• Book Title: Image and Imaging in Philosophy, Science and the Arts. Volume 1
• ISBN: 978-3-86838-115-3
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110330519.143
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/371228