Explaining the Problem of Color Exclusion From the Perspective of Structural Necessity in the Tractatus

Document Type : علمی - پژوهشی

Authors

1 PhD Student in Contemporary Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Isfahan, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Isfahan

10.48308/kj.2025.239795.1322

Abstract

This paper examines the problem of color exclusion in Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Wittgenstein asserts in this work that there is only one kind of necessity, namely, logical necessity. However, the problem of color exclusion—meaning that two colors cannot simultaneously occupy the same point in space—poses a serious challenge to this view; for, on the one hand, the conjunction of two color propositions (for example, "point A is red" and "point A is green") appears to be impossible, and on the other hand, this impossibility does not seem to constitute a logical contradiction. Various solutions have been proposed to resolve this challenge. This paper critically analyzes the proposed solutions and introduces the concept of "structural necessity"—a necessity arising from the limits and combinatorial possibilities of objects. It then, in light of this concept, seeks to articulate a type of logical necessity distinct from tautology and to demonstrate how this explanation can provide an appropriate response to the problem of color exclusion.

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References

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History

  • Receive Date: 04 May 2025
  • Accept Date: 27 June 2025

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