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Single Idea 6523

[from 'Language,Truth and Logic' by A.J. Ayer, in 7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 1. Ontologies ]

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.

Clarification

A 'stipulation' is a fairly arbitrary decision

Gist of Idea

Positivists regard ontology as either meaningless or stipulated

Source

report of A.J. Ayer (Language,Truth and Logic [1936]) by Howard Robinson - Perception IX.4

Book Reference

Robinson,Howard: 'Perception' [Routledge 2001], p.227


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.