Lutz, Sebastian (2014) Carnap on Empirical Significance. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Carnap’s search for a criterion of empirical significance is usually considered a failure. I argue that the results from two out of his three different approaches are at the very least problematic, but that one approach led to success. Carnap’s criterion of translatability into logical syntax is too vague to allow definite results. His criteria for terms—introducibility by reduction sentences and his criterion from “The Methodological Character of Theoretical Concepts”—are almost trivial and have no clear relation to the empirical significance of sentences. However, his criteria for sentences—translatability, verifiability, falsifiability, confirmability—are usable, and under assumption of the Carnap sentence, verifiability, falsifiability, and translatability become equivalent. The price for the Carnap sentence approach is that metaphysics cannot always be shown to be non-significant.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Lutz, Sebastian sebastian.lutz@gmx.net
Keywords:	empirical significance; cognitive significance; meaningfulness; Carnap; logical empiricism; Ramsey sentence; Carnap sentence; verifiability; falsifiability; testability; translatability
Subjects:	General Issues > Conventionalism General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science General Issues > Logical Positivism/Logical Empiricism General Issues > Philosophers of Science General Issues > Science vs. Pseudoscience General Issues > Theory/Observation
Depositing User:	Sebastian Lutz
Date Deposited:	08 May 2014 11:45
Last Modified:	27 Sep 2014 15:21
Item ID:	10663
Subjects:	General Issues > Conventionalism General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science General Issues > Logical Positivism/Logical Empiricism General Issues > Philosophers of Science General Issues > Science vs. Pseudoscience General Issues > Theory/Observation
Date:	30 April 2014
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/10663

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• Carnap on Empirical Significance. (deposited 08 May 2014 11:45) [Currently Displayed]
  • Carnap on Empirical Significance. (deposited 27 Sep 2014 15:21)

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