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209836

Diverging paths?

conceptual pragmatism and logical empiricism

Peter Olen

pp. 63-77

Abstract

I argue that Lewis's conception of philosophy and conception of verification should be interpreted as opposed to the logical positivism of Carnap and Schlick. Specifically, I claim Lewis's insistence on the importance of normative and metaphysical discourse, as well as his conception of verification that underwrites the meaning of normative and metaphysical statements, indicates a subtle but crucially important conflict with logical positivism. Lewis's and Schlick's disagreement over verification signals more than differing internal positions on a given issue; it arises from different conceptions of philosophy that go largely unarticulated in their debate. In light of these more fundamental considerations, pragmatism – at least in Lewis's hands – should not be interpreted as aligned with logical positivism.

Publication details

Published in:

Olen Peter, Sachs Carl (2017) Pragmatism in transition: contemporary perspectives on C.I. Lewis. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.

Pages: 63-77

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-52863-2_4

Full citation:

Olen Peter (2017) „Diverging paths?: conceptual pragmatism and logical empiricism“, In: P. Olen & C. Sachs (eds.), Pragmatism in transition, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 63–77.