Verification Principle Flashcards
What is the key idea of the verification principle
a statement is only meaningful if it can be empirically proven
where did the verification principle stem from?
hint 2 things
The movement known as logical positivism
- and a group of philosophers from the 1920’s known as the Vienna Circle
what did the members of the Vienna Circle want to do? and why?
Remould philosophy as they were depressed by the state of it
What did the members of the Vienna Circle felt they had to give philosophy?
A new job
The members of the Vienna Circle apply to language and what did they argue?
Maths and science
- they argued that, like knowledge, language had to be based on experience
For a statement to be considered meaningful it had to be verified by?
Our sense experiences
- touch, taste, hearing or sight
(the basis of empirical testing)
Empirical testing was key to understanding what?
Is/ is not meaningful = logical positivism
Who attempted to set down rules by which language can be judged to see whether or not it really means anything at all?
Ayer
What was the main argument for logical positivism
verifiability theory of meaning
Statements can be divided into what?
two types
- analytical statements
- synthetic statements
What are analytical statements
propositions which define meanings of words
What don’t you need to do with analytical statements and why?
Check whether they’re true
because they give information about what words mean (dictionary)
These statements are true or false depending on what?
Whether the words in the statements actually mean what is suggested
What do synthetic statements give?
information about reality, rather than just defining our use of language
Example of a synthetic statement?
it is raining today
The logical positivism’s decided that in order for a synthetic statement to be qualified as meaningful, they had to be what?
verifiable using empirical evidence
what do the VP say that if a statement is neither analytical nor empirically verifiable, it say’s what?
Nothing about reality and is meaningless
What did Hume say
That if a statement did not contain any abstract reasoning (maths) or any experimental reasoning, then it said nothing at all
what do statement have to be capable of being to find out whether or not they’re true
Tested
What did the Vienna Circle claim religious statements were meaningless on the basis on?
they do not satisfy any of this criteria, because religious language claims are subjective and cannot therefore be empirically tested and verified
What did Ayer observe
since the existence of God cannot be rationally demonstrated, it is not even probable, since the term God is metaphysical term referring to a transcendent being which cannot therefore have any literal significance
What did Ayer conclude about any statement that includes the term God
It is meaningless
What did Ayer argue
Since the claims about God’s existence cannot be contradicted they’re not significant propositions
What did Ayer mean by they’re no significant propositions
They’re neither true or false, but cannot be valid
Ayer was simply concerned with what?
Talking about God, but also with all other religious language
- talk of afterlife, which cannot be verified either
