Logical Empiricism Flashcards
Divisions of Logical Empiricism
- Linguistic Analysis,
- Logical Symbolism &
- Empiricism
Logical Empiricism is based on…
Plato (Greece - 428 - 347 BC) challenged us to think clearly.
–Asked ‘what is truth?, ‘what is goodness?’ & ‘what is justice?’
–Have to be clear of meaning of words.
–By thinking clearly & precisely we give new meaning to life & world around us.
History of Logical Empiricism
- Originates from British & American philosophy.
- Did really well in 20th Century
Describe Logical Empiricism and Aim of it.
-is logical - ideas can be defined precisely.
Aim is to get to the truth through sensory experience.
- is empirical - is true if learned from sense experience
- Believes most reliable knowledge comes from direct experience through senses.
- Modern Science is based on empiricism.
- Practice Science Objectively.
- Must verify all statements.
- Can’t verify values -> Not important.
What would happens if we ignored Logical Empiricism?
If we ignore empiricism we won’t learn from experience & could accept things that are false - Could be very dangerous.
Advantages of Logical Empiricism
- Understand how our physical world works
- Test truth of certain claims
- Refute what is false
- Respect natural laws of universe
- Learn from experience
Disadvantages of Logical Empiricism
- Too much emphasis on Science
- Ignores human values
- Views humans as machines
- Ignores anything that can’t be explained by Science
- Limits truth to what can be experienced through senses
History of Linguistic Analysis
- Early 20th-century
- Based on thinking of Ludwig Wittgenstein & Bertrand Russell
- Ludwig Wittgenstein moved away from supporting LA because of experience in WWI
Exponents of Linguistic Analysis (2)
Bertrand Russell & AJ Ayer
Bertrand Russell & AJ Ayer focused on 3 things..
logic, linguistic meaning & verifiable facts.
Describe Linguistic Analysis including Aim of it.
Aim is to Find exact meaning of words.
- Can get rid of almost all philosophical problems once they are made linguistically clear.
- If cannot solve a problem no matter how hard we try then words don’t make sense.
Linguistic Analysis Advantages
- Think more clearly.
- Be precise in what we mean.
- Find hidden assumptions in arguments.
- Be aware of manipulation & dishonesty in all forms of propaganda.
Disadvantages of Linguistic Analysis
- Moral problems.
- Life choices.
- Facing our own morality.
- Seeing people we love suffer.
Main Ideas of Logical Empiricism
- Verification
- Experience
- Analysis
- Objectivity
- Logical Truth
- Factual Truth
- Experiments
- Scientific statements
Another name for Logical Empiricism
Positivism
