771143
A J Ayer
- Supported the verification theory
- "The criterion we use to test
the genuineness of apparent
statements of fact is the
criterion of verifiability"
- If a
statement is
not verifiable
it is either
meaningless
or a tautology
- If a statement is
meaningless then it
is not factually
significant
- Tautology: A statement
that is true by definition
- If a statement is
meaningless then it
is not factually
significant
- Language about God
- The sentence may be emotionally
significant to someone but that does
not make it literally signifcant
- The sentence may be emotionally
significant to someone but that does
not make it literally signifcant
- Verifying a proposition
- The statement being tested
is a 'putative proposition'
- Practical Verifiability
Annotations:
- Statements which can be tested in reality; e.g. 'The Real Madrid football team wear red shirts'
- Verifiability in principle
Annotations:
- Such as 'There is life on other planets in the Milky Way Galaxy' are meaningful and verifiable in principle, but in practise we cannot verify these statements as we lack the technology to visit every planet in the Milky Way Galaxy to look for life
- Strong Verification
Annotations:
- Anything that can be conclusively verified by observation and experience
- Weak Verification
Annotations:
- Statements that can be shown to be probable by observation and experience
- The statement being tested
is a 'putative proposition'
- Religious Language
- The claims can appear meaningless
because they cannot be supported by
observations from sense experience
that go with what is probable
- What level of proof satisfies the weak criteria?
- Religious believers would argue that
God's existence can be verified, whereas
non-believers would dispute this
- The claims can appear meaningless
because they cannot be supported by
observations from sense experience
that go with what is probable
- We can make no meaningful statements
about metaphysical ideas because we
have no knowledge of things beyond
experience gained through our senses
- Accepted a priori truths but they
do not add to human knowledge
- After being criticised:
- Changed his definition of the principle of
verification to 'A statement is held to be literally
meaningful if and only if it is either analytic or
empirically verifiable'
- Strong and weak
verification became
directly and indirectly
verifiable
- Directly verifiable
- Indirectly verifiable
Annotations:
- A statement that is not directly verifiable or analytic; e.g. black holes
- Directly verifiable
- The
statement
being tested
is an
'observation
statement'
- Changed his definition of the principle of
verification to 'A statement is held to be literally
meaningful if and only if it is either analytic or
empirically verifiable'
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