Why read Language, Truth and Logic?

Book cover of Language, Truth and Logic

Book description

"A delightful book … I should like to have written it myself." — Bertrand Russell
First published in 1936, this first full-length presentation in English of the Logical Positivism of Carnap, Neurath, and others has gone through many printings to become a classic of thought and communication. It not only…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Language, Truth and Logic as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

David Edmonds

Author

This is a widely-scorned book whose ideas are no longer in philosophical fashion. But it was the work that first hooked me into philosophy, and I recommend it for its sheer verve and confidence. Freddie Ayer visited Vienna in the 1930s and when he returned to the UK he introduced the ideas of the Vienna Circle into the Anglo-American world. The book argued that propositions that were not testable – for example some assertions about God, or about ethics or aesthetics – were meaningless because they were not verifiable. Amazing claims!

From David's list on read before you turn 25.

Thomas Cathcart and Danny Klein

Author

It’s no secret that philosophy can often be murky. Ayer clears away the mud and shows us how to think clearly and logically about some traditional philosophical problems.

From Thomas' list on a taste of philosophy.