Logical Positivism

Question 1

What does cognitive language convey ?

Answer 1

Conveys factual information

Question 2

What statement does cognitive language give ?

Answer 2

Synthetic statement

Question 3

How can cognitive language be shown ?

Answer 3

Can be shown to be true or false depending on the empirical evidence

Question 4

Example of a cognitive statement/language ?

Answer 4

‘House of parliament located in Westminster’

Question 5

Cognitive language is not empiricism but what ?

Answer 5

It’s a fact, can go and check for yourself

Question 6

What does non cognitive language convey ?

Answer 6

Non factual information

Question 7

What does non cognitive language convey ?

Answer 7

Non factual information

Question 8

What does non cognitive statement convey ?

Answer 8

Emotions, emotion, order and wish and natural claim

Question 9

An example of a non cognitive language ?

Answer 9

‘I don’t like it when people steal’

Question 10

What is non cognitive language based on ?

Answer 10

Personal opinion, feelings and cannot be factual

Question 11

What is logical positivism ?

Answer 11

For statements to be logical it needs to be verifiable as ALL meaningful statements are verifiable

Question 12

Logical positivism

What are the two ways to verify a meaningful statement?

Answer 12

1. Analytical
2. Synthetic

Question 13

Logical positivism

What is analytic ?

Answer 13

• A priori
• true by definition
• Tautology: true by definition
• ‘triangle has three sides’ a definition in a word

Question 14

Logical positivism

What is a synthetic statement ?

Answer 14

• confirmable by empirical evidence observation
• testable by observation

Question 15

what is logical positivists see as meaningful ?

Answer 15

Scientific knowledge

Question 16

What do logical positivists see as meaningless ?

Answer 16

Factual knowledge and metaphysical doctrine

Question 17

Logical positivism

By stating statements are meaningful analytically and synthetic whah does this do ?

Answer 17

By statement being analytical and synthetic places importance on scientific method

Question 18

Logical positivism

Epistemic empiricism favouring empiricism over any other knowledge leads to what ?

Answer 18

Leads to a narrow view of what language is meaningful

Question 19

which philisopher provides an argument for logical positivism ?

Answer 19

A J AYER

Question 20

What argument does A J Ayer provide for logical positivism ?

Answer 20

Verification principle

Question 21

Logical positivism

Who was A J Ayer : verification Principle ?

Answer 21

• aethist philosopher: very influential in the 21st century
• was an empiricist, emotivists and logical positivists
• write ‘language, truth and logic’

Question 22

A J AYER was an emotivist, what is this ?

Answer 22

Believe that all statements are just a personal opinion and expression of feelings

Question 23

A J Ayer: logical positivists

Developed the verification principle for what ?

Answer 23

For If statements are meaningful or not

Question 24

Logical positivism

AJ Ayer was a logical positivists, where did this originate from ?

Answer 24

Originated from Vienna circle in the 20th century, which is a group of philosophers who got together to develop philosophy, developing logical positivism later logical empiricism

Question 25

What is the verification principle by AJ AYER

Answer 25

• two- pronged test that asks you two questions of any statement to determine if its meaningful or meaningless
• must be :
  1. Analytical (true by definition)
  2. Verifiable (synthetic)

Question 26

What has to be done for statement to be meaningful in a verification principle by A J Ayer

Answer 26

It needs to be answer one : either must be analytical or synthetic
And if it fails to do so then it is meaningless and is irrelevant and nonsensical

Question 27

What is a weakness of the verification principle ?

Answer 27

Principle itself cannot be verified