logical positivism

philosophy

Also known as: Neopositivism, Scientific Empiricism, logical empiricism

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Last Updated: Mar 18, 2024 • Article History

Category: History & Society

Also called:: logical empiricism

Key People:: Otto Neurath

Related Topics:: verifiability principle; protocol sentence; unified science; constitution theory; analytic-synthetic distinction

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logical positivism, a philosophical movement that arose in Vienna in the 1920s and was characterized by the view that scientific knowledge is the only kind of factual knowledge and that all traditional metaphysical doctrines are to be rejected as meaningless. A brief treatment of logical positivism follows. For full treatment, see positivism: Logical positivism and logical empiricism. Logical positivism differs from earlier forms of empiricism and positivism (e.g., that of David Hume and Ernst Mach) in holding that the ultimate basis of knowledge rests upon public experimental verification or confirmation rather than upon personal experience. It differs from the philosophies ...(100 of 417 words)

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