1937/01/01 by Rudolf Carnap · 239 citations
Arts and Humanities · Psychology · #Computer science #Empiricism #Epistemology #Expression (computer science) #Linguistics #Meaning (existential) #Metaphysics #Philosophy #Philosophy and History of Science #Philosophy and Theoretical Science #Philosophy of language #Philosophy, Science, and History #Psychology #Sentence #Testability
paper · doi:10.1086/286443
published in Philosophy of Science 4(1), 1-40 (Cambridge University Press)
openalex publication_date 1937/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
It is not the aim of the present essay to defend the principle of empiricism against apriorism or anti-empiricist metaphysics. Taking empirism for granted, we wish to discuss, the question what is meaningful. The word ‘meaning’ will here be taken in its empiricist sense; an expression of language has meaning in this sense if we know how to use it in speaking about empirical facts, either actual or possible ones. Now our problem is what expressions are meaningful in this sense. We may restrict this question to sentences because expressions other than sentences are meaningful if and only if they can occur in a meaningful sentence.