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The Verification Principle: The Views of the Vienna Circle

Learning Outcomes To be able to understand the views and outlook of The Logical Positivists. To be able to explain the verification principle.

The Logical Positivists The Logical Positivists were a group of philosophers who were primarily concerned with the truth contained in statements we can make, or in other words, with what can be logically posited, or stated. The group began in Vienna, Austria in the 1920s and gathered around a philosopher called Moritz Schlick. The group was heavily influenced by a philosopher called Ludwig Wittgenstein and in turn, the group influenced many philosophers of religion.

Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Tractatus ‘Where of we do not know, there of we cannot speak.’ One of the greatest influences upon the Logical Positivism was Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Tractatus. In the Tractatus, Wittgenstein asserted that the only language with meaning was the language of science, language that referred to empirical reality, language that mirrored the world as sensed.

The Verification Principle If we verify a statement, we check its truth against a body of evidence or facts. For example: if we claim that Roger killed Bill, we must verify or check that statement against forensic evidence (a bloodied knife) or witness accounts. It is from this idea that we get the ‘verification principle’

The Verification Principle ‘A statement which cannot be conclusively verified cannot be verified at all. It is simply devoid of any meaning.’ What does this mean? The verification principle demands that for a statement to have meaning, we must be able to check its claims against things that exist. For example: if we say ‘it’s raining outside’ it’s easy to check or verify the claims of this statement by stepping outside and holding our hand out to check for rain. A statement like ‘there is life after death’ is less easy to verify.

Put this theory into action…. Is each statement meaningful or not according to the verification principle? Why? Answer in your notes: Red is a colour Ben is nice The computer is broken 2+2=4 Stretch yourself: What does the term Tautology mean.

Two types of statement: The verificationists held that there were two types of statement that are meaningful: Analytic propositions: these are statements that contain all the information within the statement that we need to verify it e.g. ‘red is a colour’ or ‘2+2=4.’ Synthetic propositions: these are statements that can be confirmed through the use of the senses (i.e. by recourse to empirical data) e.g. ‘it’s raining outside’ or ‘that bridge has collapsed.’

Two types of statement: Blue is a colour 4+6=10 The car is broken A bachelor is an unmarried man A daughter must The cake is chocolate have a father flavoured Stretch yourself: Pick two statements and explain why they are analytic or synthetic.

In conclusion… As a result of this, verificationists hold that non cognitive, metaphysical statements (i.e. statements about things beyond reality such as God, heaven, angels) are completely meaningless (as are meaningless statements like ‘square circles are green’), as we have no way of verifying whether or not these statements are meaningful.

Consider this statement… ‘God is loving and powerful’ Would logical positivists consider this statement to be meaningful or meaningless? Answer this in your books. Make sure you use keywords.

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.”- A.J Ayer

The Verification Principle Make ‘A guide to The Verification Principle’ leaflet/ poster! Make sure you include the key terms and definitions.

Do you agree? ‘Religious and ethical statements are neither true nor false, they are meaningless. There is no point discussing them philosophically’ Consider in pairs, and write a response.

If these are the questions, what are the answers? Synthetic statements Ludwig Wittgenstein Analytic statements cognitive The Verification Principle

Weak and Strong Verification Find out the definition of these two terms and add them to your notes!