The Decline of Logical Positivism

Abstract

Abstract Modern philosophy of science grew out of a movement called logical positivism, which emerged in the early twentieth century. The movement was highly complex; it should be cautioned that any brief attempt to characterize the movement, such as what follows, cannot do it justice. Logical positivism, a term coined by A. E. Blumberg and Herbert Feigl in 1931, is the name given to the philosophical ideas put forth by a mixed group of academicians who referred to themselves as members of the Vienna Circle, the Wiener Kreis. Logical positivism is not to be confused with the positivism of August Comte (1798–1857) or with logical empiricism, the more mature form of logical positivism that evolved after the Vienna Circle dissolved with the Nazi AnschluB in 1938. Logical empiricism as a school of philosophical thought continues today. The clear distinction made here is not always observed in discussions on logical positivism and empiricism.