The Unity of Science

by Rudolf Carnap, Max Black (Introduction)

Based on the belief that statements are meaningful only if they are empirically verifiable, in The Unity of Science Carnap endeavours to work out a way in which the observation statements required for verification are not private to the observer. The work shows the strong influence of Wittgenstein, Russell and Frege.
This, the first English translation, was revised by Carnap for this edition.

Genres: Philosophy

101 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1934

About the author

Rudolf Carnap, a German-born philosopher and naturalized U.S. citizen, was a leading exponent of logical positivism and was one of the major philosophers of the twentieth century. He made significant contributions to philosophy of science, philosophy of language, the theory of probability, inductive logic and modal logic. He rejected metaphysics as meaningless because metaphysical statements cannot be proved or disproved by experience. He asserted that many philosophical problems are indeed pseudo-problems, the outcome of a misuse of language.

Read more : http://www.iep.utm.edu/carnap/

Reviews

[Illiterate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carnap uses his version of logical analysis (with protocol statements) to defend physicalism.

[Tim Landström · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though he might have been wrong on some (possibly a lot) of issues, Carnap and his general attitude towards philosophy still holds a special place in my heart.

[Brain Temple · Rating 5 out of 5]

makes the claim that metaphysical statements are just pseudo-problems that get mixed up w/ traps in language and then proceeds to write about a universal language of science.

still gotta dig the viennese sch00l \m/

[Lander Demonie · Rating 2 out of 5]

De oorlog heeft hem duidelijk geen goed gedaan.