The Differences Between Wittgenstein’s and Ayer’s Views on Analytic Philosophy
1. Introduction
Philosophy is an attempt of human beings to logically explain the processes that take place in the world. There are numerous branches of philosophy including philosophy of nature, epistemology, ontology, and ethics. Each branch has different goals and methods.
Analytic philosophy is a branch of philosophy that emerged in the early 20th century. The main representatives of this movement were Bertrand Russell and Gottlob Frege. This kind of philosophy is based on the idea that philosophical problems can be solved by means of analysis, that is, by breaking down complex concepts into simpler ones and studying their relationships.
In the second half of the 20th century, analytic philosophy was developed by such philosophers as Ludwig Wittgenstein and A.J. Ayer. In this essay, I will compare and contrast the views of Wittgenstein and Ayer on analytic philosophy.
2. The views of Wittgenstein and Ayer on analytic philosophy
Ludwig Wittgenstein was one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. He was born in 1889 in Austria and died in 1951 in Cambridge, England. Wittgenstein was educated at the University of Cambridge, where he studied under Bertrand Russell.
Wittgenstein’s early work was influenced by Russell’s ideas about logic and language. However, later Wittgenstein developed his own view on these topics, which was very different from Russell’s view.
According to Wittgenstein, the task of philosophy is not to find out the truth about the world, but to clarify our concepts so that we can see the world more clearly. He believed that many philosophical problems are caused by confusions in our use of language. For example, we may think that there is something mysterious about human consciousness because we do not have a clear understanding of what we mean by ‘consciousness’.
Wittgenstein believed that philosophical problems can be solved by means of analysis, that is, by breaking down complex concepts into simpler ones and studying their relationships. However, he thought that this kind of analysis cannot be done using scientific methods; instead, it must be done using LOGICAL methods.
Ayer was also a philosopher who worked in the field of analytic philosophy. He was born in 1910 in London and died in 1989. Ayer was educated at Eton College and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied under Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Like Wittgenstein, Ayer believed that philosophical problems can be solved by means of analysis. However, he thought that this kind of analysis must be done using SCIENTIFIC methods rather thanLOGICAL methods. For Ayer, the aim of philosophy is to find out the truth about the world; it is not just to clarify our concepts.
Ayer believed that many philosophical problems are caused by confusions about words which we use in everyday life without thinking about their meaning (he called these words ’empty words’). For example, we may think that there is something mysterious about human consciousness because we do not have a clear understanding of what we mean by ‘consciousness’. But according to Ayer, if we analyze the concept of consciousness scientifically, we will see that there is nothing mysterious about it; it is just a name for certain physical processes in the brain.
3. The difference between the two views
There are several important differences between the views of Wittgenstein and Ayer on analytic philosophy.
Firstly, Wittgenstein believed that philosophical problems can be solved by means of analysis, but he thought that this kind of analysis must be done using LOGICAL methods rather than scientific methods. Ayer, on the other hand, thought that philosophical problems can be solved by means of analysis, but he believed that this kind of analysis must be done using SCIENTIFIC methods rather than logical methods.
Secondly, Wittgenstein believed that the task of philosophy is to clarify our concepts so that we can see the world more clearly. Ayer, on the other hand, believed that the aim of philosophy is to find out the truth about the world.
Thirdly, Wittgenstein thought that many philosophical problems are caused by confusions in our use of language. Ayer, on the other hand, believed that many philosophical problems are caused by confusions about words which we use in everyday life without thinking about their meaning (he called these words ’empty words’).
4. Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be seen that there are several important differences between the views of Wittgenstein and Ayer on analytic philosophy. Wittgenstein believed that philosophical problems can be solved by means of analysis, but he thought that this kind of analysis must be done using LOGICAL methods rather than scientific methods. Ayer, on the other hand, thought that philosophical problems can be solved by means of analysis, but he believed that this kind of analysis must be done using SCIENTIFIC methods rather than logical methods.