Ayer & the Weak Verification Principle LO’s: 1: To understand the ideas of A.J. Ayer 2: To consider how he developed the verification principle LO’s: 1: To understand the ideas of A.J. Ayer 2: To consider how he developed the verification principle Lesson 3 HWK TASK 3 in your HWK REligious Language Booklet (pg.6). HWK TASK 3 in your HWK REligious Language Booklet (pg.6). Starter for 5! Come up with a statement that is: tautological false by definition verifiable and true verifiable and false meaningless Swap with a partner! Can they identify them correctly? Starter for 5! Come up with a statement that is: tautological false by definition verifiable and true verifiable and false meaningless Swap with a partner! Can they identify them correctly? Keyword Metaphysics: literally meaning ‘above or beyond physics’, metaphysics concerns questions concerning being and ultimate reality.

20 th Century British Philosopher! The most famous advocate of the verification principle. Most famous book: Language, Truth and Logic (published at age 25). Fact File: A.J.Ayer In Language, Truth and Logic Ayer: Accepts the a priori/a posteriori division emphasised by thinkers like Hume and Kant Wishes to follow Hume and the thinkers of the Vienna Circle in rejecting metaphysics as meaningless (not factually significant). Ayers criteria: Must be a tautology (a priori), have practical verifiability or be verifiable in principle (a posteriori). Making Links: Look back at the arguments for the existence of God considered at AS. Which are a priori and which are a posteriori?

The idea of a Verification Principle faces a number of serious problems. How much can we really verify? For example: did King Harold die at the battle of Hastings? We can look at some historical records which say he did, but we cannot (a) observe it ourselves, or (b) subject the hypothesis to any new or further forms of testing. Perhaps a lot of what we take for knowledge defies strict verification. A Problem in Verification To get around this problem, Ayer developed the ‘Weak Verification Principle’. Instead of checking every bit of knowledge with our logic or senses, he suggested that we might know things by setting up sensible standards for evidence – eye-witness accounts, multiple sources, etc. Perhaps Harold did die after all … To get around this problem, Ayer developed the ‘Weak Verification Principle’. Instead of checking every bit of knowledge with our logic or senses, he suggested that we might know things by setting up sensible standards for evidence – eye-witness accounts, multiple sources, etc. Perhaps Harold did die after all …

Verifiability… Maths (a priori) Tautology (analytic – a priori) Practical Verifiability (synthetic) Verifiability in Principle (synthetic) Pure logic e.g. 2+2=4 A logical statement which we can know to be true by definition. e.g. ‘Bachelors are male’ This is verifiable as it would be illogical to think the opposite. Statements which could be tested in reality. e.g. ‘Liverpool Football Club wear red shirts.’ This is verifiable in practice – we can go and watch a match. Statements which we cannot verify in practice, but know what observations would lead it to be true. They can be shown to be probable by observation and experience. e.g. ‘There is life on other planets in the Milky Way Galaxy’ or ‘All humans are mortal’ In practice we do not have the technology to visit all the planets in the Milky Way. Nor can we kill all the humans in the world. + =

Task 1 of 2 : Lets go back to the bin... Which statements can we now rescue through Ayer’s weak verification principle? Henry the VIII had 6 wives The criterion which we use to test the genuineness of apparent statements of fact is the criterion of verifiability. We say that a sentence is factually significant to any given person, if, and only if, he knows what observations would lead him, under certain conditions, to accept the proposition as being true, or reject it as being false. God is all- loving Van Gogh was a good painter Gravity is constant at all place on earth Da Vinchi’s ‘Last Supper’ is more beautiful than the picture drawn by my 5 year old niece The cat is in the hat All bachelors are men All ravens are black Salt is made up of Sodium and Chlorine Triangles have 3 sides Which of the weaknesses of the verification principle would still apply to Ayer’s version?

Him again … Statement: ‘God is loving and powerful’ … Analytically verifiable? Synthetically verifiable? … Therefore Ayer would say: MEANINGLESS “No sentence which describes the nature of a transcendent God can possess any literal significance.” Non - Cognitive

Cognitive (Realist) Language:  Factual statements  Proved true or false via empirical evidence Non-Cognitive (Anti-Realist) Language:  Cannot be verified but nor can they be falsified through empirical evidence.  Context dependant and can include symbols, myths, metaphor, feelings. THESE STATEMENTS

Task 2 of 2 Group Tasks: To be Peer Assessed Each Group will cREate a poster on A.J. Ayer and the verification principle! Include: – His aims in Language, Truth and Logic – Where Ayer differs from the Vienna Circle – Implications for art, politics, religion and ethics – Criticisms of the weak verification principle Each Group will cREate a poster on A.J. Ayer and the verification principle! Include: – His aims in Language, Truth and Logic – Where Ayer differs from the Vienna Circle – Implications for art, politics, religion and ethics – Criticisms of the weak verification principle For display! Further Research: Find out more about Hick’s story of ‘The Road to the Celestial City’ and his idea of eschatological verification. Using pages 14-15

Consolidation: Peer Assessment Look at each others posters! Did they Include: – His aims in Language, Truth and Logic – Where Ayer differs from the Vienna Circle – Implications for art, politics, religion and ethics – Criticisms of the weak verification principle – Further Research: Find out more about Hick’s story of ‘The Road to the Celestial City’ and his idea of eschatological verification. Look at each others posters! Did they Include: – His aims in Language, Truth and Logic – Where Ayer differs from the Vienna Circle – Implications for art, politics, religion and ethics – Criticisms of the weak verification principle – Further Research: Find out more about Hick’s story of ‘The Road to the Celestial City’ and his idea of eschatological verification. On a Post-It note: 1.EBI: Give them an extra piece of information that would develop their work further. 2.Give them a WWW! On a Post-It note: 1.EBI: Give them an extra piece of information that would develop their work further. 2.Give them a WWW!