more on this theme | more from this thinker | more from this text
Full Idea
The fact that all causal and representative theories of perception treat material things as if they were unobservable entities entitles us to rule them out a priori.
Gist of Idea
Causal and representative theories of perception are wrong as they refer to unobservables
Source
A.J. Ayer (Language,Truth and Logic [1936], Ch.2)
Book Ref
Ayer,A.J.: 'Language, Truth and Logic' [Penguin 1974], p.71
A Reaction
It seems to me that we can accept a causal/representative account of perception if we think of it in terms of 'best explanation' rather than observables. Explanation requires speculation, which logical positivists can't cope with.