logical positivism

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logical positivism

A student reads about logical positivism in a philosophy textbook.

Definition

Noun: 1. A philosophical movement: Logical positivism is a school of philosophy that emerged in the early 20th century. It asserts that meaningful statements about the world must be either empirically verifiable (based on sensory experience) or true by definition (like the statements of logic and mathematics). All other statements, including those of metaphysics, ethics, and theology, are considered cognitively meaningless.

Usage
  • Logical positivism is primarily discussed in academic contexts related to philosophy, the history of science, and epistemology (the theory of knowledge).
  • It is used to describe a specific historical movement and its core doctrines.
Examples
  • The central tenet of logical positivism is the verification principle.
  • Logical positivism had a profound influence on the philosophy of science in the mid-20th century.
  • Critics argue that logical positivism is too restrictive in its view of meaningful discourse.
Advanced Usage
  • The Vienna Circle: This term is often used synonymously with logical positivism, as the movement was developed by a group of philosophers and scientists known as the Vienna Circle.
  • Verificationism / The Verification Principle: This is the core doctrine of logical positivism, stating that the meaning of a proposition is its method of verification.
Variants and Related Words
  • Positivism (noun): A broader philosophical system that emphasizes scientific method and empirical observation. Logical positivism is a specific, stricter form of positivism.
  • Logical empiricism (noun): Often used interchangeably with logical positivism, though some scholars make subtle distinctions.
  • Verificationist (adjective/noun): Relating to verificationism; a proponent of verificationism.
Synonyms
  • Logical empiricism
  • Scientific empiricism (in a specific philosophical context)
Related Concepts (Not Synonyms)
  • Empiricism: The broader theory that all knowledge originates in experience. Logical positivism is a form of empiricism.
  • Analytic philosophy: A broader tradition of philosophy that emphasizes logical analysis, of which logical positivism was a significant part.
  • Metaphysics: The branch of philosophy that logical positivists typically rejected as meaningless.
logical positivism

A student reads about logical positivism in a philosophy textbook.

Noun
  1. the form of empiricism that bases all knowledge on perceptual experience (not on intuition or revelation)

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