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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)
The Verification Principle : the meaning of a non-tautological statement is its method of verification.
►Both scientific realism and metaphysical realism
The external world There are two ways to talk about the external world:
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.
experience or by acquaintance. Indirect knowledge is still knowledge.
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.
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 same kind of conditions apply.
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.
transcendent world.
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.
Or else it does not make a difference in the observable world, and thus is meaningless.
Criticisms of the logical positivists’ view
Schlick’s reply to 1:
is an observable difference, and what is meant by “external reality” and such expressions will only be these emotional, psychological, and behavioral states.
and so on.
Criticisms of the logical positivists’ view
but they are still meaningful.