Logical Positivism

Positivism and Logical Positivism

Before we get into logical positivism itself, let's look at the wider topic of positivism first. This will give us a stronger foundation for our overall understanding of positivism and logical positivism.

Let's look at the difference between 'mathematically and logically true' and 'true by definition.'

From a positivist perspective, if something is mathematically and logically true, it means it has been investigated, tested, and proven. Scientific discoveries are an example of things that are positive in this sense because they have been explored, trialed, and seen to be true. Something can also be considered positive if it can be experienced through sensory input.

'True by definition' refers to the language used to describe things and how they relate to the thing itself.

Fig 1. If something can be empirically proven to be true, it is more likely to fit into positivist ideals.

Basically, the "positive" component of "positivism" is all about the essence of truth.

Logical Positivism Explained

Although there are various definitions and types of positivism, the one we're going to focus on in this article is logical positivism, as this is the kind that relates most closely to linguistics.

Logical analysis is a method of interpretation that uses statistical methods and reasoning to test an issue, ascertaining that each step of the analysis is true and accurate before moving on to the next. Because logical analysis follows a logical order, it is assumed that each step is true or positive because the step before it would have been as well.

Summary of Logical Positivism

The logical positivism movement was heavily influenced by the works of Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951), who wanted to revolutionize the way we use and understand language. He was involved in many disciplines, including mathematics, logic, ethics, and philosophy, and believed that the function of language is to allow people to visualize things.

Logical positivism was founded in Western philosophy by the members of the Vienna Circle, a group of prominent philosophers and scientists from different sociological, mathematical, and natural sciences backgrounds. These experts held regular meetings between 1924 and 1936 at the University of Vienna. These meetings were chaired by Moritz Schlick, the initial founder of the logical positivism movement and the Vienna Circle itself.

The aim of logical positivism, as proposed by the Vienna Circle, was to remove ambiguity from language by shifting philosophy to "scientific philosophy." The Vienna Circle believed they could move society closer to enlightenment by using logic to substantiate philosophical concepts. This idea links back to Wittgenstein's ambition of simplifying language to allow people to "see" things more clearly, as logical positivism favors concision, simplicity, and fact.

The Vienna Circle, and by extension, the logical positivist movement, were critical of abstract concepts such as metaphysics and religion and sought to unify different sciences (including mathematics, social sciences, and natural sciences) to enhance the clarity of information.

Fig 2. Metaphysics is concerned with some complex and theoretical ideas that the positivism movement rejected.

Characteristics of Logical Positivism

Although logical positivism is an expansive topic that can be applied to different disciplines in different ways, the main characteristics of logial positivism when approaching a topic are:

• Logical positivism favors clear, direct, and simple explanations and language. The key is to keep things brief and ensure that essential information is conveyed simply.

• Following on from the above point, logical positivism does not require emotive or evocative language, nor overly descriptive language. If the facts are down, that's the main thing.

• Piggybacking on that point, logical positivism is all about the facts. Positivist arguments are not concerned with opinions, feelings, or ideas. Logical positivism centers around things that can be seen, touched, or proven in another way; anything else is discounted.

Logical Positivism in Linguistics

Quickly remind yourself of the definition of logical positivism we used earlier in the article. When looking at the significance of logical positivism in linguistics, we can refer back to this definition and apply it to language.

This is clearly an extreme view of language that is not practical or accepted in most facets of society today.

Arguably, the closest we could get to true logical positivism in linguistics is the representation and reporting of factual information resulting from empirical (based on observation or experience rather than theory) investigation.

In highly scientific or mathematical investigations, true logic needs to be followed to draw a conclusion, and this logically drawn conclusion can then be conveyed in an equally logical, direct, and concise manner.

How, then, is positivism relevant in linguistics?

Logic and Linguistics

Although positivism itself might not be directly transferrable to many linguistic concepts, the logical side of logical positivism is inherent in natural language (i.e., logic plays an integral role in many aspects of natural language).

Take English as an example. English is a "generative" or "productive" language, meaning that English speakers can build essentially infinite sentences by altering the combination and order of words (syntax), punctuation, and level of detail.

Even though English has a finite number of words, by rearranging them, adding to them, altering the punctuation, etc., we can take a finite number of words and create almost endless possibilities. How does this relate to logic?

As English speakers continue to develop their linguistic skills and understanding of linguistic concepts, they become better able to logically decide what makes sense in a sentence.

Logic and Semantics

Logic can also help us to understand what sentences mean. The branch of linguistics concerned with meaning is called semantics.

Although we might see a sentence and inherently know what it is saying, logic can help us to break it down into smaller chunks to help us understand the meaning fully.

Semantics can help us not only understand the different components that make up a sentence but also to understand the relationship between context and meaning.

Many English words and phrases can have multiple meanings, which could become confusing in certain situations, were it not for the logic of context. Context allows us to interpret a word or sentence as relevant to a particular situation.

Example of Logical Positivism

Let's look at an example of logical positivism now.

Let's take the assertion that "being a vegan is moral, whereas eating animal products is amoral."

If a group of logical positivists were to debate the validity and truth of this statement, they would likely conclude that it is not a meaningful or positive sentence. This is because, according to logical positivism, for a sentence to make sense and be worth using, it needs to be provable.

Although someone might have the opinion or belief that being a vegan is more moral than eating animal products, this is not something that can be empirically proven or verified. If the sentence had more to do with the observable consequences of eating animal products (e.g., health implications and environmental impact of animal agriculture), then it would be closer to a logically positivist sentiment.

Fig 3. According to positivism, the opinion that veganism is better is meaningless.

Positivism and Interpretivism

By this point, you should have a decent idea of what positivism is and what it entails. To compare positivism and interpretivism then, we'll need to know what interpretivism is:

In essence, interpretivism is the total opposite of positivism. Instead of valuing only information that is positive, interpretivism does what it says on the tin - leaves space for interpretation.

Whereas positivism implies that people use language according to socially imposed norms (or indeed, the standards set by the positivist movement), interpretivism acknowledges that individuals have subjective and unique experiences and cognition that will influence their language use.

Interpretivism could be said to be more descriptivist, especially where language is concerned, as opposed to positivism which could be considered more prescriptivist.