The Limits of the Sayable
Explore the boundaries where language and logic break down. This course examines how the greatest thinkers found meaning in the 'unsayable' and the 'unprovable.'
Like Duolingo, but for The Limits of the Sayable. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
A short one: 12 levels across 2 sections, about 24 minutes end to end, roughly 5 days at five minutes a day. It moves through The Boundary of Logic and The Breakdown of Systems.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in The Limits of the Sayable
- Logical form and state of affairs
- Value judgments and spatial arrangement
- Truth, falsehood, and mapping
- Transcendental subjects as conditions
- Logic vs Ethics (How vs That)
- The mystical and the limited whole
- The logical limits of the Picture Theory when applied to non-factual propositions
- The transcendental nature of ethics and aesthetics
- The Tractatus consists of propositions it declares to be nonsensical
- Language can state facts but cannot state logic
- Logic is a self-canceling tool
- The distinction between 'saying' and 'showing'
- Logical form mirrors itself in language; it is shown, never described
- Final stage is a shift in perspective
- The progression of the 'Ladder' metaphor
- The logical limits of the Picture Theory
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives The Limits of the Sayable the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Why would the author of the Tractatus argue that saying 'This painting is beautiful' lacks logical sense?
Get it right to open this lesson and 11 more in the app.
How to learn The Limits of the Sayable, step by step
Go in order. 12 short levels across 2 sections, about 24 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
The Boundary of Logic
- The Silence of the Tractatus
- Language Games and Social Meaning
- 2
The Breakdown of Systems
- Deconstruction and the Trace
- Incompleteness and the Unprovable
2 sections · 4 units · 12 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about The Limits of the Sayable
How do I learn The Limits of the Sayable?
Go in order: start with The Boundary of Logic, then The Breakdown of Systems. On Tomo that's 12 short levels, about 24 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for The Limits of the Sayable?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. The Limits of the Sayable is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is The Limits of the Sayable free?
Yes. The Limits of the Sayable is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn The Limits of the Sayable?
12 levels across 2 sections, about 24 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start The Limits of the Sayable?
No. It's pitched at an advanced level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
The Limits of the Sayable is taught in the Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start The Limits of the Sayable today.
Download Tomo, search The Limits of the Sayable, and play your first lesson in under a minute.