Rudolf Carnap
Member of the Vienna Circle: a statement that can be neither verified nor reduced to a rule of logic has no meaning, and metaphysics is full of them.
Life
German philosopher (1891-1970), a central member of the Vienna Circle, who moved to the United States in 1935 (Chicago, then UCLA). He holds that the statements of metaphysics, which can be neither verified nor reduced to logic, are meaningless. He builds logical languages to clarify science and distinguishes questions asked within a linguistic framework from the choice of framework.
Main works
Attempts to build all scientific concepts from experience.
Argues that metaphysical statements are meaningless.
Replaces philosophy with the logical analysis of the language of science.
Analyzes meaning through extension and intension.
In his own words
« The function of logical analysis is to analyse all knowledge, all assertions of science and of everyday life, in order to make clear the sense of each such assertion »
« The acceptance cannot be judged as being either true or false because it is not an assertion. It can only be judged as being more or less expedient, fruitful, conducive to the aim for which the language is intended. »
Positions
click a row to see the evidenceStatements about God are metaphysical and so cognitively meaningless; he held no religious belief.
Carnap, "The Elimination of Metaphysics Through Logical Analysis of Language" (Erkenntnis, 1932)
All factual knowledge rests on experience; the rest is logic.
Carnap, Der logische Aufbau der Welt (1928)
Physicalism: psychological statements can be translated into the language of physics.
Carnap, "Psychology in Physical Language" (Erkenntnis, 1932-33)
Value statements express attitudes and are not factual assertions.
Carnap, Philosophy and Logical Syntax (1935)