Given Quote by Ludwig Wittgenstein
“"It is necessary to be given the prop that all elementary props are given." This is not necessary because it is even impossible. There is no such prop! That all elementary props are given is SHOWN by there being none having an elementary sense which is not given.”
About This Quote
Source Philosophical Essay: Tractatus Logico‑Philosophicus, 1921
All basic assumptions are given; questioning them leads to recognizing their impossibility.
In simple terms: Basic assumptions are given and cannot be doubted.
Key Takeaway
Question the foundations.
Themes
philosophy
logic
ontology
Mood
analytical
skeptical
Type
philosophical
inquisitive
When to use this quote
- academic debate
- critical thinking
- theoretical physics
Key Concepts
foundationalism
skepticism
Questions to Reflect On
- What does it mean for a prop to be 'given'?
- Can we ever truly know a basic premise?
A Different Perspective
Some may argue some basics are discoverable.
![“Pure sensism leads inevitably to universal doubt; if reality is in the end reducible to sensible appearance, then, since this is in a state of perpetual flux and self-contradiction, no kind of certitude will any longer be possible. [...] Truth is necessary and immutable; but in the sensible order…” quote by Étienne Gilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e5c/etienne-gilson-21565_reality_pure-sensism-leads-inevitably-to-univers_1728131.jpg)
