A review of Ayer's Language, Truth, and Logic Ayer's work revisits the traditions of philosophy questioned by Wittgenstein and highlighted by Russell. An earlier philosopher, Kant mentions the limits of traditional metaphysics, suggesting that philosophy may have ventured far beyond the capabilities of experience such that established rules of language are no longer applicable (Ayer 34). Challenging the traditional metaphysician's ideas of transcendent reality, Ayer establishes a categorical system to review the language used by metaphysicians to attain a new perspective on the study of philosophy. Ayer's system for language begins with a separation of statements with literal significance and logical significance. Statements of literal significance are essentially facts that can be either true or false in the world. Furthermore, literal significance presupposes conditions that the statement has verifiability and grammaticality. The statement, " The coffee cup is on the table," is a verifiable fact in the world for I have a coffee cup in front of me on the table. It follows grammatical syntax as instilled by the rules of our language. Typically, verifiability entails that the object is perceived through sense data to have strong sense, but facts do not necessarily have to be directly presented through sense data; they can be …show more content…
This entails that "right" and "wrong" carry literal significance because they correspond to entities in the world. However, we see that the connection between wrong and pain do not always correlate. When we say to maintain a healthy body, we must exercise. The act of exercising causes pain but it is the right thing to do. The same can be seen with pleasure. A sadist may obtain pleasure from inflicting pain on others, but we would certainly say that a sadistic act is wrong within the same
...objects and gods differ only in degree and not in kind''. From a Logical Point of View (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1953), p. 44.
ABSTRACT: In this paper, I shall focus first on Heidegger's attempt to tackle the problem of 'metaphysics' and his wish to transcend it. Then, I shall try to evaluate his thoughts about transcending metaphysics in connection with his interpretation of Nietzsche's anthropology, which he considers to be the highest achievement in metaphysics.
... uses the lack of proof of Gods existence for God’s existence. This then essentially leads to a battle between science and religion on the idea of whether or not God can be proven to exist and whether that proof is essential to determine if science or religion has the right answer.
Perry, J., Bratman, M. & Fischer, J.M. 1998). Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings. (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Wittgenstein, Ludwig; G. E. M. Anscombe, P.M.S. Hacker and Joachim Schulte (eds. and trans.). Philosophical Investigations. 4th edition, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print.
For background interest, Language, Truth and Logic was written after Ayer had attended some of the meetings of the Vienna Circle, in the 1930's.
The theory of descriptions is Russell's solution to the problem's caused by the interpretation of denoting phrases.
Moore, Brooke Noel., and Kenneth Bruder. "Chapter 6- The Rise of Metaphysics and Epistemology; Chapter 9- The Pragmatic and Analytic Traditions; Chapter 7- The Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries." Philosophy: the Power of Ideas. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.
The philosopher Bertrand Russell in his work, “The Problems of Philosophy,” comes to some conclusions of the truth of objects in our world. Through questioning certain ideas and problems in our world, he breaks down what can know what really exists in the world and what does not.
Some kinds of utterances which have an indicative grammatical form seem, for different reasons, to be unable to say something true of the world. Logical contradictions are only the prime example of something the author baptizes impossible descriptions. So-called performative contradictions (e.g., "I do not exist") make up another kind, but there are at least two more such kinds: negating affirmations and performatives which cannot be explained within the philosophy of language. Only philosophical anthropology can explain their feature of "impossibleness," and a distinction between unreflective and reflective consciousness is central to the explanation. Particularly important here is G. H. Mead's distinction between two aspects of the self: the "I" and the "me." Each of the four kinds of impossible descriptions distinguished has its own contrary opposite. These are, in turn, logical tautologies, performative tautologies, affirming negations, and omissive performatives. The last three types as types have not received the philosophical recognition that they deserve. All four fit a general characterization which is given as a definition of the concept of superfluous description.
Many atheists have used science as a way to disapprove the existence of God. Science is not an accurate way of disapproving the existence of God(2). Scient...
While some people may believe that science and religion differ drastically, science and religion both require reason and faith respectively. Religion uses reason as a way of learning and growing in one’s faith. Science, on the other hand, uses reason to provide facts and explain different hypotheses. Both, though, use reason for evidence as a way of gaining more knowledge about the subject. Although science tends to favor more “natural” views of the world, religion and science fundamentally need reason and faith to obtain more knowledge about their various subjects. In looking at science and religion, the similarities and differences in faith and reason can be seen.
When considering the basis for the understanding of both science and religion it is interesting to distinguish that both are based on an overwhelming desire to define a greater knowledge, and comprehension of the universe that surrounds us. Now while, science has based its knowledge of experimental basis, researcher, and scholarly work; religion
This essay is written to introduce the Russell’s Theory on Definite Description. The main content of this essay including: the definition of definite description, the puzzles concerning definite description, Russell’s Theory on Definite Description, how this theory solves the puzzles, Strawson’s objection to this theory, my evaluation on the convincingness of Strawson’s objection and my evaluation on the convincingness of Russell’s Theory of Definite Description.
... the metaphysician is mistaken in his wordings and his errors in judgment. It seems that the metaphysical philosopher would gladly lead us into a world of untruths and a world that could never be true. Ayer lets the metaphysicians keep some dignity by states that, " although the greater part of metaphysics is merely the embodiment of humdrum errors, there remain a number of metaphysical passages which are the work of genuine mystical feeling; and they may more plausibly be held to have moral or aesthetic value." Ayer ends his papers letting the readers know that metaphysics should be reduced to a mere "mystic" reading, and that it should be left off as an idea of philosophy. He says we must forget that which is beyond our empirical understanding and focus on that which is within our realm to truly understand our lives, and the way they are, or should be lived.