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Ideas for 'works', 'Language,Truth and Logic' and 'Truth and the Past'

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2 ideas

1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 3. Philosophy Defined

5196	Philosophy is a department of logic [Ayer]
	Full Idea: Philosophy is a department of logic.
	From: A.J. Ayer (Language,Truth and Logic [1936], Ch.2)
	A reaction: Personally I would invert that. Philosophy is concerned with human rationality, of which precise logic appears to be a rather limited subdivision. I see philosophy as the 'master' subject, not the 'servant' subject (as Locke had implied).

1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / e. Philosophy as reason

5189	Philosophers should abandon speculation, as philosophy is wholly critical [Ayer]
	Full Idea: We can overthrow speculative philosophy, and see that the function of philosophy is wholly critical.
	From: A.J. Ayer (Language,Truth and Logic [1936], Ch.2)
	A reaction: This seems to imply that we CAN speculate, which appeared to be rendered impossible by the verification principle. Personally I think speculation is central to philosophy, but Ayer should always stand as a warning against bogus truth-claims.