Lecture 9

Question 1

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Answer 1

• Wittgenstein I: Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus
• Wittgenstein II: Philosophical investigations
• Most influential philosopher 20th century

Question 2

Tracatus Logico-Philosohphicus

Answer 2

• Dominated by what is meaningful
• States that the world is the totality of the existing state of affairs
• Elementary facts are indivisble and independent
• Complex facts are a combination of elementary facts

Question 3

What is meaningful?

Answer 3

Something that can be true or false.
General propositions or possible states of affairs.

Question 4

What is meaningless?

Answer 4

Things that are opinion or subjective.
Something that cannot be stated as a fact or false statement.

Question 5

Logical Positivists

Answer 5

• The Wiener Kreis in 1920’s Vienna
• Attacked the vague metaphysical discussions which were common during that time
• Wanted philosophy to be dictated by what is meaningful

Question 6

The Linguistic Turn

Answer 6

Philosophical questions are questions of language.
View that philosophical problems may be solved by reforming language or understanding more about the language we use.

Question 7

Manifesto of logical positivism

Answer 7

1. Meaningful claims are either empirical or logical in nature
2. Logical claims are verifiable by looking at their form (e.g. modus ponens)
3. Empirical claims can be verified by observation
4. Claims that are not verifiable are meaningless

Question 8

Sense data

Answer 8

Experiences which are gained through the senses

Question 9

Problems with verifiability 1: Seperation of theory and observation

Answer 9

1. Theoretical terms are not reducible to observations, especially in psychology.
2. Theory ladenness: observation often relies on theory. Such as with instruments
3. Underdetermination of theories: How is it determined which theory is correct.

Question 10

Problem with verifiability 2: Induction

Answer 10

1. General statements are not verifiable
2. With the verification criterion there can’t be causal relationships

Question 11

Problem with verifiability 3: Unobservable entities

Answer 11

1. Things like atoms, photons, working memory, intelligence are unobservable
2. Statements about unobservable things are thus not verifiable.
3. So statements about these unobservable things are meaningless according to logical positivists