Religious language: Verification and Language Games

Which approach to philosophy was developed by the Vienna Circle?

• Logical Positivism

• Positive logicalism

• Language Games

• Analogy and symbol

According to Logical Positivism, which areas of philosophy are deemed to be 'meaningless'? (3)

• Ethics

• Metaphysics

• Tautologies

• Religion

What are the two types of significant statements according to Logical Positivism and the verification theory? (2)

• Normative ethical arguments

• Statements of faith

• Tautologies

• Empirically verifiable statements

Which are examples of tautologies? (2)

• London is the capital of England

• A triangle has three sides

• It is raining outside

• A bachelor is an unmarried man

Which are empirically verifiable statements? (2)

• Mount Everest is only 3 feet tall

• It is immoral to lie to your parents

• It is raining in Andover

• God is love

Who distinguished between strong and weak verification?

• Ludwig Wittgenstein

• Richard Swinburne

• A.J. Ayer

• Richard Dawkins

What is the difference between strong and weak verification?

• Weak verification is reliant on faith claims

• Strong verification requires conclusive empirical evidence

• Strong verification requires the claims to be shouted very loudly

• Strong verification is reliant on tautologies

What did Ayer conclude about strong verification?

• It is less valid than weak verification

• It is ultimately impossible because absolute conclusive empirical evidence is unobtainable

• It is wrong

• It can prove the existence of God

Who criticised verification, arguing that logical positivists are creating their own version of metaphysics in rejecting metaphysics?

• Dorothy Emmett

• John Hick

• Vincent Brummer

• Richard Dawkins

Who criticised verification arguing that religious language and metaphysical claims should be understood as analogies?

• Richard Swinburne

• John Hick

• Dorothy Emmett

• Aristotle