The Large Scale Structure of Logical Empiricism: Unity of Science and the Elimination of Metaphysics

Two central and well‐known philosophical goals of the logical empiricists are the unification of science and the elimination of metaphysics. Textual analysis shows, however, that these two apparently distinct planks of the logical empiricist party platform are actually intimately related. From the 1...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophy of science 2005-12, Vol.72 (5), p.826-838
Main Author: Frost‐Arnold, Greg
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Common law
Criteria
Cultural norms
Empiricism
Encyclopedias
Epistemology. Philosophy of science. Theory of knowledge
Logic
Logical empiricism
Metaphor
Metaphysics
Observational terms
Philosophy
Philosophy of science
Physics
Science
Scientific research
Sentences
Social history
Syntax
Unified science
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Summary:Two central and well‐known philosophical goals of the logical empiricists are the unification of science and the elimination of metaphysics. Textual analysis shows, however, that these two apparently distinct planks of the logical empiricist party platform are actually intimately related. From the 1920s through 1950, one abiding criterion for judging whether an apparently declarative assertion or descriptive term is metaphysical is that that assertion or term cannot be incorporated into a language of unified science. I explore various versions of this criterion throughout the works of Carnap and Neurath.
ISSN:0031-8248
1539-767X
DOI:10.1086/508113