display all the ideas for this combination of philosophers
2 ideas
6523 | Positivists regard ontology as either meaningless or stipulated [Ayer, by Robinson,H] |
Full Idea: Positivists tend to be prejudiced against ontology, regarding very general questions about what sort of things exist either as meaningless, or as questions to be settled by stipulation. | |
From: report of A.J. Ayer (Language,Truth and Logic [1936]) by Howard Robinson - Perception IX.4 | |
A reaction: So much the worse for positivists, because they are missing all the fun. I consider one of the central activities of philosophy to be speculating about explanations. Ontology is at the heart of what explanation aims at. |
2611 | It is currently held that quantifying over something implies belief in its existence [Ayer] |
Full Idea: It is currently held that we are committed to a belief in the existence of anything over which we quantify. | |
From: A.J. Ayer (The Central Questions of Philosophy [1973], IX.C) | |
A reaction: In a fairy tale we quantify over fairies, so some further criterion will obviously be needed. |