Schlick and Popper
What is metaphysics? The question itself is a study in the answer, as to question the meaning of truth is to compare and contrast it to all that we perceive from our senses as 'real.' The principle of verifiability was at the core of Logical Positivism, the movement that sought to apply logic and the methodology of the empirical sciences to all fields of thought. It states that a theory, or more generally a sentence, that is not at least capable of empirical verification is meaningless. For positivists, the 'given,' which can be based primarily upon appearances, is a single, one-dimensional and positive object. There is no elaboration or variation on how the 'given' is interpreted, it simply is. As Schlick tells us (from the positivist outlook), "Only the given is real." This obviously presents contradictions if one is attempting to explain something outside the sphere of what is perceived to be the given. If there is an existence of an external world, then how can the problem be resolved without looking beyond what is known of the given? This is metaphysical idealism, where the philosopher feels he can speak to only that which is given to him -- a kind of solipsistic thought where nothing can be assum
Schlick attempts to make clear the claims of scientific inquiry in relation to metaphysics -- scientists who state hypotheses without being able to back up their claims with hard facts present a logical impossibility. Facts that cannot be verified -- that is, those that are accepted merely because there is a scientific principle that stands behind them, are logically meaningless. To be logically meaningless, or more simply, 'unthinkable', should have no place in the scientific community, as all scientific thinking should be able to cite not just principles, but the reasons for the effect. Observation, altering the given state -- these things should be taken into consideration when attempting verification, but to assume that the "realm of the given would not be touched" for whatever hypothesis has been stated makes no sense. All scientific statements need to be tested for truth and adapted to particular situations, in order to completely and logically verify whatever scientific facts are presented. In all cases, the number of possibilities to consider for verification of an idea is infinite. One can ever be certain that every single possibility has been factored into any given. Therefore, nothing can be logically assumed to be entirely true, rather, the applicable theories help to define it. It should also be understood that falsification has its limits. Nothing can guarantee that for every idea that has been found to be false, there will be discovered a better succeeding idea. Popper insists there is no way one can be assured that progress can be made toward better theories. His main objective in the testing of any theory is to simply get closer to the truth. Even if no theory can be shown to be absolutely true. Falsification of theories can lead to true meaning in a statement in much the same way as verification of its truth. Rather than verifying what is known to be true (the sun comes up each morning), and using this as the key point for proving the truth of a statement, falsification addresses the problem by assuming a new theory will succeed where its predecessor failed. As well as succeeding where the proceeding refuted theory failed. If this is not accomplished (the sun rises at 3 p.m. -- obviously false), then verification becomes easier and more obvious. Of course, Popper might have suggested that even this does not definitely prove or disprove a certain theory that is held to be true. Because of the external forces, there is the probability that when i
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1675
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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