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Logical Positivism and Realism - Philosophy of Science - Lecture Notes, Study notes of Philosophy

Logical Positivism and Realism, Austrian Philosopher, Logical Positivist, Verification Principle, Anti Realism Debate, Metaphysical Realism, External World, Philosophical Point of View, External World, Verification Principle are the important key points of lecture notes of Philosophy.

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Logical Positivism and Realism
Moritz Schlick (1882-1936)
Austrian philosopher
Logical positivist
The Verification Principle: the meaning of a non-tautological statement is its method of
verification.
The realism/anti-realism debate is a non-issue
Both scientific realism and metaphysical realism
The external world
There are two ways to talk about the external world:
1. From a daily life point of view
2. From a philosophical point of view
The external world in daily life
Daily life contrasts the internal world of memories, thoughts, dreams, and feelings, with the
external world of mountains, trees, houses, etc.
To say that these things exist is just to say that we know how to verify whether an external object
is there.
Is there a tree outside?
Yes, for I look outside, and see a tree, and I could go touch the tree, etc.
Was this tree there before I look?
Yes, for this is quite an old tree and it could not be there now if it has not been growing there
for years.
Does this tree exist independently of me?
Yes, for it is unlike a dream, hallucinations, or illusion in various ways: other people agree that
the tree is there, I can verify that this is not a trick in various ways, etc.
The external world in philosophy
Philosophy contrasts the internal world of ideas (perceptions/sensations as well as thought,
imagination, dream, etc.), with the external world of a unknowable ‘transcendent reality’ behind
the reality of daily life.
This view originates from the formerly popular thesis that to know an object requires direct
experience of it.
The discovery that we only have direct experience of our own ideas, not of the objects
themselves, thus implied that we know nothing of these external objects.
But this conclusion arise from a confusion.
We must distinguish between knowledge in general, and a type of knowledge, i.e., knowing by
experience or by acquaintance.
Indirect knowledge is still knowledge.
We can legitimately infer knowledge of other things from our ‘sense data’.
Schlick on metaphysical realism
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Logical Positivism and Realism Moritz Schlick (1882-1936)

Austrian philosopher

Logical positivist

The Verification Principle : the meaning of a non-tautological statement is its method of verification.

The realism/anti-realism debate is a non-issue

►Both scientific realism and metaphysical realism

The external world There are two ways to talk about the external world:

  1. From a daily life point of view
  2. From a philosophical point of view

The external world in daily life Daily life contrasts the internal world of memories, thoughts, dreams, and feelings, with the external world of mountains, trees, houses, etc. To say that these things exist is just to say that we know how to verify whether an external object is there.

Is there a tree outside? Yes, for I look outside, and see a tree, and I could go touch the tree, etc. Was this tree there before I look? Yes, for this is quite an old tree and it could not be there now if it has not been growing there for years. Does this tree exist independently of me? Yes, for it is unlike a dream, hallucinations, or illusion in various ways: other people agree that the tree is there, I can verify that this is not a trick in various ways, etc.

The external world in philosophy Philosophy contrasts the internal world of ideas (perceptions/sensations as well as thought, imagination, dream, etc.), with the external world of a unknowable ‘transcendent reality’ behind the reality of daily life.

This view originates from the formerly popular thesis that to know an object requires direct experience of it. The discovery that we only have direct experience of our own ideas, not of the objects themselves, thus implied that we know nothing of these external objects. But this conclusion arise from a confusion.

We must distinguish between knowledge in general, and a type of knowledge, i.e., knowing by

experience or by acquaintance. Indirect knowledge is still knowledge.

We can legitimately infer knowledge of other things from our ‘sense data’.

Schlick on metaphysical realism

So, according to the verification principle and the fact that it applies only to the ‘given’ (i.e., to what is knowable) it follows that to talk about a transcendent reality is meaningless.

All we can talk about is what we can know.

Important: Logical positivism does not say that metaphysical realism is true or false, but only that it is meaningless.

The external world in science What about science and scientific realism? What scientists mean by “external world” is the same as in daily life.

The existence of theoretical entities is verified in much the same way than ordinary objects.

The same kind of conditions apply.

Theoretical entities do not refer to an unknowable world.

Schlick on scientific realism Therefore, the question of scientific realism is a non-issue, in the same way that metaphysical realism is a non-issue.

The verification principle means that it is meaningless to talk about an unknowable or

transcendent world.

It does not follow that only the ‘given’ is real. To say this would be to be doing metaphysics

and talk about meaningless things. Schlick on scientific realism Either a theoretical entity make (in principle) a difference in the observable world, and thus is meaningful and can be checked.

E.g., electrons

Or else it does not make a difference in the observable world, and thus is meaningless.

E.g., élan vital

Criticisms of the logical positivists’ view

  1. The concept of “independent, external reality” is not meaningless, because it makes a difference in the work of a scientist whether she is a realist or not. The scientist of the realist persuasion will be more motivated and interested to do science, since she will be uncovering nature’s secrets rather than be merely concerned with “complexes of her own sensations”.

Schlick’s reply to 1:

If it makes a difference in the behaviour and the psychological attitude of the scientist, then this

is an observable difference, and what is meant by “external reality” and such expressions will only be these emotional, psychological, and behavioral states.

Thus, in that sense, “external reality” only means things like “I am thrilled to be doing science”,

and so on.

Criticisms of the logical positivists’ view

  1. Meaning is more than just verification.

The verification principle is wrong.

Terms like “external reality” cannot be specified in a way that makes an observable difference,

but they are still meaningful.