Verificationism: Its History and ProspectsVerificationism is the first comprehensive history of a concept that dominated philosophy and scientific methodology between the 1930s and the 1960s. The verificationist principle - the concept that a belief with no connection to experience is spurious - is the most sophisticated version of empiricism. More flexible ideas of verification are now being rehabilitated by a number of philosophers. C.J. Misak surveys the precursors, the main proponents and the rehabilitators. Unlike traditional studies, she follows verificationist theory beyond the demise of positivism to examine its reappearance in the work of modern philosophers. Most interestingly, she argues that despite feminism's strenuous opposition to positivism, verificationist thought is at the heart of much of contemporary feminist philosophy. Verificationism is an excellent assessment of a major and influential system of thought. |
Contents
THE LOGICAL POSITIVISTS AND | 58 |
PEIRCE AND THE PRAGMATIC MAXIM | 97 |
WHAT IS IT TO UNDERSTAND A SENTENCE? | 128 |
SOME FURTHER SUGGESTIONS | 163 |
Conclusion | 201 |
References | 226 |
Name index | 246 |
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Common terms and phrases
acceptance analytic/synthetic distinction anti-realist Appiah argues argument assert atomic Ayer belief Berkeley C. I. Lewis Carnap claim Comte concept consequences counterfactual counterfactual conditional distinction Duhem Dummett Einstein empirical empiricism empiricist entities epistemology evidence fact falsified Fraassen grasp holds holism human Hume Hume's idea inductive inference inquiry instance inverted spectrum kind knowledge language legitimacy legitimate logical atomism logical positivism logical positivists Mach mathematical and logical matter meaning meaningful meaningless metaphysics nature Neurath notion objects observation Peacocke Peacocke's Peirce Peirce's phenomena philosophy physical position pragmatic maxim pragmatist propositions question Quine Quine's realist reality reason relations requires Rorty Russell Russell's hypothesis Schlick scientific seems seen sensations sense sensory sentence solipsism someone sort spurious statements suggestion theoretical theory things thought experiments true or false truth truth-conditions truth-value understanding verifiability principle verifica verificationism verificationist criterion Vienna Circle Wiggins Wittgenstein