Flashcards
Religious Language - verification principle
Cards in this deck (31)
- 1What is the verification principle?The belief that a statement is only meaningful if is verified synthetically and analytically.
- 2What is cognitive language?When you can ask if a statement is true or false.
E.g. The dog is asleep in its basket - 3What is non-cognitive language?When you cannot ask if something is true or false.
e.g. A prayer. - 4What is logical positivism?A movement in philosophy which believed the aim of philosophers should be the analysis of language. They believe statements can only be verified empirically.
(By actual experience or tautology) - 5Which group of 1920s logical positivists inspired the verification principle?The Vienna circle
(Moritz Schlick was the leader) - 6What classifies as a meaningful statement for a follower of the verification principle?Analytic propositions: Bachelors are unmarried men
Synthetic propositions: The table in the kitchen is round - 7What would the logical positivists classify as a meaningless statement?One which is neither analytic nor synthetic.
e.g. he is a good person, as there is no way of testing which good means. - 8Quote from: Freidrich Waismann'A statement which cannot be conclusively verified cannot be verified at all'
- 9How did Wittgenstein relate to the Vienna Circle?He was influential to the Vienna Circle but did not belong to the group.
- 10Quote from: Ludwig Wittgenstein'Whereof we do not know, thereof we cannot speak'
- 11Who was A.J. Ayer and what did he do?A British Philosopher who introduced logical positivism in the UK.
- 12What were his two major contributions to the verification principle?1. A distinction between verification in principle and practice e.g. even though we cannot verify that all metals expand when heated but we know the parameters for testing so it is still meaningful.
2. A distinction between weak and strong verification. - 13What does Ayer argue about sentances about God?They are meaningless and both denying and accepting God is meaningless
- 14How does Ayer classify if statements are meaningful?1. If they are analytic
(A priori)
2. If they are synthetic
(A posteriori) - 15What is weak verification?Something which can be verified if you can state the observations would be needed to verify the statement. e.g. mountains on the far side of the moon (In 1935 we could not see this, therefore the statement is meaningful).
- 16What is Ayers view on strong verification?Believes it is impossible as you can never conclusively make any statement about the world as statements can be mistaken. We cannot get out of our minds to check our perception is correct.
- 17What are the strengths of the verification principle?1. Doesn't allow discussion of God so saves time
2. Supports a teleological design argument for God's existence
3. Means we do not discuss anything which isn't true - 18What are the weaknesses of the verification principle?1. Cannot verify statement 'statements are only meaningful if they are verified by sense experience'
2. Strong verification seen as too ridgid cannot talk about science or God. e.g. Life of Julius Caesar or gravity
3. Swinburne states universal statements cannot be verified 'all ravens are black'
4. personal views such as art are meaningless - 19What does Vardy comment on the verification principle?States that just because you cannot verify a statement doesn't make it meaningless.
- 20What does Keith Ward say about the verification principle?Argued God can be verified as God himself can verify his own existence
- 21Weaknesses of Weak Verification?You can technically verify anything?
- 22What does Karl Popper add to the verification principle?Simply argues we cannot scientifically verify everything
- 23How does Hick argue against the VP?Eschatological Verification.
When we die, the truth of God's existence will be proved true or false. Hick is making the point that as we know how to verify propositions such as God exists, religious statements do have meaning.
Uses imagery from 'Pilgrim's progress' in which the heroes travel towards the celestial city. - 24Why did Ayer create a second edition to his book?His first edition of 'Language, truth and logic' was both widely read and widely criticised
- 25What is a putative statement?A statement which has not yet been verified
- 26What does he change his definition of verification to?A statement is held to be literally meaningful if and only if it is either analytic or empirically verifiable
- 27What did Ayer think of his prior definition of WV?far too liberal as it allows meaning to any statement whatsoever.
- 28What did Ayer propose to solve the problem of strong and weak verification?Directly and indirectly verifiable experiences
- 29What are directly verifiable experiences?Directly verifiable experiences are verifiable by observation
e.g. are post boxes red? - 30What are indirectly verifiable experiences?Not directly verifiable or analytic.
A statement which could be verified if other directly verifiable evidence could support it.
e.g. Black holes are not directly verifiable but scientists use other directly verifiable evidence to suggest its existence - 31Criticism: Jesus'blessed are those who believe without seeing'
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- a2 Religious Studies (Philosophy) Flashcards on Religious Language - verification principle, created by Ella Foster on 08/02/2017.
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