This book investigates the fundamental connection between human thought, language, and the objective state of the world as presented in Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations. Charles Travis, a prominent philosopher of language, utilizes his own established framework regarding truth and representation to re-examine Wittgenstein's later work. He argues that the 'footing' of thought—the mechanism by which our mental states align with reality—is not a matter of internal mental representation but is instead rooted in our public practices and the way we engage with the world.

Scholars and students of analytic philosophy frequently cite this text as a rigorous, albeit dense, contribution to the interpretation of Wittgenstein. Experts highlight Travis's unique approach as a significant challenge to traditional representationalist readings of the Investigations.