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A question on logical positivism and pragmatism with regards to meaning of a statement
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‘Despite all its weaknesses, democracy is still the best form of
government compared with all other forms of government that have been
tried in human history.’ Which of the following is False about this
sentence.
A) Suppose ‘the best form of government’ means ‘the form of government
that is most effective in implementing policies that benefits people’.
Whether the sentence in this question is meaningful according to
logical positivism depends on whether the ‘benefits’ implied in the
previous sentence are observable.
B) Suppose ‘the best form of government’ means ‘the form of government
that is most successful in upholding objective moral values’, i.e.
moral values whose truth/falsity is independent of the view of any
individuals or groups. Whether the sentence in this question is
meaningful according to logical positivism depends on whether the
effectiveness of implementing policies in line with what most people
in a country believe about moral issues, as reflected in surveys of
beliefs about these issues, is observable
C it is not meaningless according to pragmatism
D although it is meaningful according to pragmatism, it is not because this sentence is true by definition.
This question tests us on the understanding of Logical Positivism (LP) on "verifiability criterion of meaning" on whether a sentence is meaningful. Well i thought I understood what LP meant, that one can in principle come up with an observable situation that shows the truth/falsity of a statement, and by observable situation, we meant it in a way that there are finite observations which is publicly verifiable.
I have trouble choosing whether it is A or B (note there are 2 other choices which I immediately eliminated), Both sentences said something about observable, but option A did not really say anything about effectiveness, so even though benefits are observable, we cannot test the truth/false of this sentence because we do not what is really effective. So I am more inclined to choose B since it is made clear. However, I am not totally sure, anyone has a better explanation?
logic logical-positivism
asked 5 hours ago
ilovewt
1205
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
‘Despite all its weaknesses, democracy is still the best form of
government compared with all other forms of government that have been
tried in human history.’ Which of the following is False about this
sentence.
A) Suppose ‘the best form of government’ means ‘the form of government
that is most effective in implementing policies that benefits people’.
Whether the sentence in this question is meaningful according to
logical positivism depends on whether the ‘benefits’ implied in the
previous sentence are observable.
B) Suppose ‘the best form of government’ means ‘the form of government
that is most successful in upholding objective moral values’, i.e.
moral values whose truth/falsity is independent of the view of any
individuals or groups. Whether the sentence in this question is
meaningful according to logical positivism depends on whether the
effectiveness of implementing policies in line with what most people
in a country believe about moral issues, as reflected in surveys of
beliefs about these issues, is observable
C it is not meaningless according to pragmatism
D although it is meaningful according to pragmatism, it is not because this sentence is true by definition.
This question tests us on the understanding of Logical Positivism (LP) on "verifiability criterion of meaning" on whether a sentence is meaningful. Well i thought I understood what LP meant, that one can in principle come up with an observable situation that shows the truth/falsity of a statement, and by observable situation, we meant it in a way that there are finite observations which is publicly verifiable.
I have trouble choosing whether it is A or B (note there are 2 other choices which I immediately eliminated), Both sentences said something about observable, but option A did not really say anything about effectiveness, so even though benefits are observable, we cannot test the truth/false of this sentence because we do not what is really effective. So I am more inclined to choose B since it is made clear. However, I am not totally sure, anyone has a better explanation?
logic logical-positivism
asked 5 hours ago
ilovewt
1205
Not an answer, but I feel the best form of government will depend on the situation. A lot of terrible mistakes have been made in the name of imposing the 'best' form of government or as Churchill puts it, 'the least worst'. .
– PeterJ
4 hours ago
I couldn't answer without seeing the two choices that you have already eliminated. I'd also like to consider the source of this question.
– Bread
2 hours ago
1
Could I request that you change your question title to better reflect that your question is about a feature of a discussion about democracy, rather than a question about democracy itself?
– Paul Ross
2 hours ago
1
@Bread hi I have added the options and this is an past year exam question set by a professor in a university. His module is mostly based on Harry gensler intro to logic book.
– ilovewt
2 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
‘Despite all its weaknesses, democracy is still the best form of
government compared with all other forms of government that have been
tried in human history.’ Which of the following is False about this
sentence.
A) Suppose ‘the best form of government’ means ‘the form of government
that is most effective in implementing policies that benefits people’.
Whether the sentence in this question is meaningful according to
logical positivism depends on whether the ‘benefits’ implied in the
previous sentence are observable.
B) Suppose ‘the best form of government’ means ‘the form of government
that is most successful in upholding objective moral values’, i.e.
moral values whose truth/falsity is independent of the view of any
individuals or groups. Whether the sentence in this question is
meaningful according to logical positivism depends on whether the
effectiveness of implementing policies in line with what most people
in a country believe about moral issues, as reflected in surveys of
beliefs about these issues, is observable
C it is not meaningless according to pragmatism
D although it is meaningful according to pragmatism, it is not because this sentence is true by definition.
This question tests us on the understanding of Logical Positivism (LP) on "verifiability criterion of meaning" on whether a sentence is meaningful. Well i thought I understood what LP meant, that one can in principle come up with an observable situation that shows the truth/falsity of a statement, and by observable situation, we meant it in a way that there are finite observations which is publicly verifiable.
I have trouble choosing whether it is A or B (note there are 2 other choices which I immediately eliminated), Both sentences said something about observable, but option A did not really say anything about effectiveness, so even though benefits are observable, we cannot test the truth/false of this sentence because we do not what is really effective. So I am more inclined to choose B since it is made clear. However, I am not totally sure, anyone has a better explanation?
logic logical-positivism
asked 5 hours ago
ilovewt
1205
‘Despite all its weaknesses, democracy is still the best form of
government compared with all other forms of government that have been
tried in human history.’ Which of the following is False about this
sentence.
A) Suppose ‘the best form of government’ means ‘the form of government
that is most effective in implementing policies that benefits people’.
Whether the sentence in this question is meaningful according to
logical positivism depends on whether the ‘benefits’ implied in the
previous sentence are observable.
B) Suppose ‘the best form of government’ means ‘the form of government
that is most successful in upholding objective moral values’, i.e.
moral values whose truth/falsity is independent of the view of any
individuals or groups. Whether the sentence in this question is
meaningful according to logical positivism depends on whether the
effectiveness of implementing policies in line with what most people
in a country believe about moral issues, as reflected in surveys of
beliefs about these issues, is observable
C it is not meaningless according to pragmatism
D although it is meaningful according to pragmatism, it is not because this sentence is true by definition.
This question tests us on the understanding of Logical Positivism (LP) on "verifiability criterion of meaning" on whether a sentence is meaningful. Well i thought I understood what LP meant, that one can in principle come up with an observable situation that shows the truth/falsity of a statement, and by observable situation, we meant it in a way that there are finite observations which is publicly verifiable.
I have trouble choosing whether it is A or B (note there are 2 other choices which I immediately eliminated), Both sentences said something about observable, but option A did not really say anything about effectiveness, so even though benefits are observable, we cannot test the truth/false of this sentence because we do not what is really effective. So I am more inclined to choose B since it is made clear. However, I am not totally sure, anyone has a better explanation?
logic logical-positivism
logic logical-positivism
asked 5 hours ago
ilovewt
1205
asked 5 hours ago
ilovewt
1205
edited 2 hours ago
asked 5 hours ago
ilovewt
1205
asked 5 hours ago
ilovewt
1205
asked 5 hours ago
ilovewt
1205
1205
Not an answer, but I feel the best form of government will depend on the situation. A lot of terrible mistakes have been made in the name of imposing the 'best' form of government or as Churchill puts it, 'the least worst'. .
– PeterJ
4 hours ago
I couldn't answer without seeing the two choices that you have already eliminated. I'd also like to consider the source of this question.
– Bread
2 hours ago
1
Could I request that you change your question title to better reflect that your question is about a feature of a discussion about democracy, rather than a question about democracy itself?
– Paul Ross
2 hours ago
1
@Bread hi I have added the options and this is an past year exam question set by a professor in a university. His module is mostly based on Harry gensler intro to logic book.
– ilovewt
2 hours ago
add a comment |Â
Not an answer, but I feel the best form of government will depend on the situation. A lot of terrible mistakes have been made in the name of imposing the 'best' form of government or as Churchill puts it, 'the least worst'. .
– PeterJ
4 hours ago
I couldn't answer without seeing the two choices that you have already eliminated. I'd also like to consider the source of this question.
– Bread
2 hours ago
1
Could I request that you change your question title to better reflect that your question is about a feature of a discussion about democracy, rather than a question about democracy itself?
– Paul Ross
2 hours ago
1
@Bread hi I have added the options and this is an past year exam question set by a professor in a university. His module is mostly based on Harry gensler intro to logic book.
– ilovewt
2 hours ago
Not an answer, but I feel the best form of government will depend on the situation. A lot of terrible mistakes have been made in the name of imposing the 'best' form of government or as Churchill puts it, 'the least worst'. .
– PeterJ
4 hours ago
Not an answer, but I feel the best form of government will depend on the situation. A lot of terrible mistakes have been made in the name of imposing the 'best' form of government or as Churchill puts it, 'the least worst'. .
– PeterJ
4 hours ago
I couldn't answer without seeing the two choices that you have already eliminated. I'd also like to consider the source of this question.
– Bread
2 hours ago
I couldn't answer without seeing the two choices that you have already eliminated. I'd also like to consider the source of this question.
– Bread
2 hours ago
1
1
Could I request that you change your question title to better reflect that your question is about a feature of a discussion about democracy, rather than a question about democracy itself?
– Paul Ross
2 hours ago
Could I request that you change your question title to better reflect that your question is about a feature of a discussion about democracy, rather than a question about democracy itself?
– Paul Ross
2 hours ago
1
1
@Bread hi I have added the options and this is an past year exam question set by a professor in a university. His module is mostly based on Harry gensler intro to logic book.
– ilovewt
2 hours ago
@Bread hi I have added the options and this is an past year exam question set by a professor in a university. His module is mostly based on Harry gensler intro to logic book.
– ilovewt
2 hours ago
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
I agree with you.
You can see Thales' example (page 45) : provide an "operational" definition that suggests a way of testing.
B) suggests to use "surveys of beliefs" as a practical method to test effectiveness, while A) does not suggest any way to measure "benefits".
Thus, it is False that "A is meaningful according to logical positivism".
answered 1 hour ago
Mauro ALLEGRANZA
25.9k21757
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
C is true, therefore would not be the correct answer to the test question.
D is also true so also was not the correct answer.
A is mosly true -- LP advocates might end up concluding that "best form of government" is too vague to test for. But if they did consider "most effective in implementing policies that benefits people" as equivalent to "best" they do accept logic tests too, not just empirical tests. For an empirical test to be valid, the benefits would have to be observable, and observability is essential for them to make an empirical statement meaningful.
B is clearly not true. It has multiple strikes. Logical Positivism rejects metaphysics, including morality, so LP would not accept a definition of "best" that involves morality. Then the statement asserts morality is an objective reality -- again contrary to the LP view that such a claim is meaningless. Finally, it then equates "moral values whose truth/falsity is independent of the view of any individuals or groups" with "what most people in a country believe about moral issues", which is the "view of a group", hence contradicts the statement's own internal definition. With three strikes vs either reasoning or LP, statement B is a very false statement.
answered 57 mins ago
Dcleve
2366
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
I agree with you.
You can see Thales' example (page 45) : provide an "operational" definition that suggests a way of testing.
B) suggests to use "surveys of beliefs" as a practical method to test effectiveness, while A) does not suggest any way to measure "benefits".
Thus, it is False that "A is meaningful according to logical positivism".
answered 1 hour ago
Mauro ALLEGRANZA
25.9k21757
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
I agree with you.
You can see Thales' example (page 45) : provide an "operational" definition that suggests a way of testing.
B) suggests to use "surveys of beliefs" as a practical method to test effectiveness, while A) does not suggest any way to measure "benefits".
Thus, it is False that "A is meaningful according to logical positivism".
answered 1 hour ago
Mauro ALLEGRANZA
25.9k21757
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
I agree with you.
You can see Thales' example (page 45) : provide an "operational" definition that suggests a way of testing.
B) suggests to use "surveys of beliefs" as a practical method to test effectiveness, while A) does not suggest any way to measure "benefits".
Thus, it is False that "A is meaningful according to logical positivism".
answered 1 hour ago
Mauro ALLEGRANZA
25.9k21757
I agree with you.
You can see Thales' example (page 45) : provide an "operational" definition that suggests a way of testing.
B) suggests to use "surveys of beliefs" as a practical method to test effectiveness, while A) does not suggest any way to measure "benefits".
Thus, it is False that "A is meaningful according to logical positivism".
answered 1 hour ago
Mauro ALLEGRANZA
25.9k21757
edited 45 mins ago
answered 1 hour ago
Mauro ALLEGRANZA
25.9k21757
answered 1 hour ago
Mauro ALLEGRANZA
25.9k21757
answered 1 hour ago
Mauro ALLEGRANZA
25.9k21757
25.9k21757
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
C is true, therefore would not be the correct answer to the test question.
D is also true so also was not the correct answer.
A is mosly true -- LP advocates might end up concluding that "best form of government" is too vague to test for. But if they did consider "most effective in implementing policies that benefits people" as equivalent to "best" they do accept logic tests too, not just empirical tests. For an empirical test to be valid, the benefits would have to be observable, and observability is essential for them to make an empirical statement meaningful.
B is clearly not true. It has multiple strikes. Logical Positivism rejects metaphysics, including morality, so LP would not accept a definition of "best" that involves morality. Then the statement asserts morality is an objective reality -- again contrary to the LP view that such a claim is meaningless. Finally, it then equates "moral values whose truth/falsity is independent of the view of any individuals or groups" with "what most people in a country believe about moral issues", which is the "view of a group", hence contradicts the statement's own internal definition. With three strikes vs either reasoning or LP, statement B is a very false statement.
answered 57 mins ago
Dcleve
2366
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
C is true, therefore would not be the correct answer to the test question.
D is also true so also was not the correct answer.
A is mosly true -- LP advocates might end up concluding that "best form of government" is too vague to test for. But if they did consider "most effective in implementing policies that benefits people" as equivalent to "best" they do accept logic tests too, not just empirical tests. For an empirical test to be valid, the benefits would have to be observable, and observability is essential for them to make an empirical statement meaningful.
B is clearly not true. It has multiple strikes. Logical Positivism rejects metaphysics, including morality, so LP would not accept a definition of "best" that involves morality. Then the statement asserts morality is an objective reality -- again contrary to the LP view that such a claim is meaningless. Finally, it then equates "moral values whose truth/falsity is independent of the view of any individuals or groups" with "what most people in a country believe about moral issues", which is the "view of a group", hence contradicts the statement's own internal definition. With three strikes vs either reasoning or LP, statement B is a very false statement.
answered 57 mins ago
Dcleve
2366
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
C is true, therefore would not be the correct answer to the test question.
D is also true so also was not the correct answer.
A is mosly true -- LP advocates might end up concluding that "best form of government" is too vague to test for. But if they did consider "most effective in implementing policies that benefits people" as equivalent to "best" they do accept logic tests too, not just empirical tests. For an empirical test to be valid, the benefits would have to be observable, and observability is essential for them to make an empirical statement meaningful.
B is clearly not true. It has multiple strikes. Logical Positivism rejects metaphysics, including morality, so LP would not accept a definition of "best" that involves morality. Then the statement asserts morality is an objective reality -- again contrary to the LP view that such a claim is meaningless. Finally, it then equates "moral values whose truth/falsity is independent of the view of any individuals or groups" with "what most people in a country believe about moral issues", which is the "view of a group", hence contradicts the statement's own internal definition. With three strikes vs either reasoning or LP, statement B is a very false statement.
answered 57 mins ago
Dcleve
2366
C is true, therefore would not be the correct answer to the test question.
D is also true so also was not the correct answer.
A is mosly true -- LP advocates might end up concluding that "best form of government" is too vague to test for. But if they did consider "most effective in implementing policies that benefits people" as equivalent to "best" they do accept logic tests too, not just empirical tests. For an empirical test to be valid, the benefits would have to be observable, and observability is essential for them to make an empirical statement meaningful.
B is clearly not true. It has multiple strikes. Logical Positivism rejects metaphysics, including morality, so LP would not accept a definition of "best" that involves morality. Then the statement asserts morality is an objective reality -- again contrary to the LP view that such a claim is meaningless. Finally, it then equates "moral values whose truth/falsity is independent of the view of any individuals or groups" with "what most people in a country believe about moral issues", which is the "view of a group", hence contradicts the statement's own internal definition. With three strikes vs either reasoning or LP, statement B is a very false statement.
answered 57 mins ago
Dcleve
2366
answered 57 mins ago
Dcleve
2366
answered 57 mins ago
Dcleve
2366
answered 57 mins ago
Dcleve
2366
2366
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
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Not an answer, but I feel the best form of government will depend on the situation. A lot of terrible mistakes have been made in the name of imposing the 'best' form of government or as Churchill puts it, 'the least worst'. .
– PeterJ
4 hours ago
I couldn't answer without seeing the two choices that you have already eliminated. I'd also like to consider the source of this question.
– Bread
2 hours ago
1
Could I request that you change your question title to better reflect that your question is about a feature of a discussion about democracy, rather than a question about democracy itself?
– Paul Ross
2 hours ago
1
@Bread hi I have added the options and this is an past year exam question set by a professor in a university. His module is mostly based on Harry gensler intro to logic book.
– ilovewt
2 hours ago