Critical rationalism, the Vienna Circle, and the empirical basis problem

Abstract

Critical rationalism is a theory of scientific rationality that originated in strict opposition to justificationism, inductivism, verificationism, psychologism, historicism, and conventionalism, as well as some other traits of logical empiricism as interpreted by Popper. Nevertheless, Popper developed his views in close contact with some of the logical empiricists, e.g., Carnap, Feigl, and Kraft. The chapter looks especially closely at the dispute over the empirical basis of scientific theories as conceived by Popper and other critical rationalists. Hereby the connection to the logical empiricist’s discussion of the empirical basis in the protocol-sentence debate is demonstrated. This chapter argues that within critical rationalism, many of the problems re-appeared which had been discussed in the Vienna Circle during the protocol-sentence debate.