Reconsidering Logical Positivism

Abstract

The aim herein is to show the need for reconsidering our approach to the use of psychopharmacology as a standard treatment for mental health. Although the most recent scientific research supports abandoning it altogether, this paper presents arguments using pure logic. Using one of the simplest valid propositional forms, Modus Tollens, the argument will flow as follows: if a method is successful, it must meet specific criteria; the method does not meet the required criteria; therefore, the method is unsuccessful.

Revisiting Galison’s ‘Aufbau/Bauhaus’ in light of Neurath’s philosophical projects

“…After all, 'Science and life' was the title of Carnap's initial lecture at the Bauhaus, in which he spoke of the roles of both science and visual art in modern life. Neurath also supported the technologically driven aspect of the Bauhaus, as well as its use of new synthetic materials in the construction of their products (Neurath, 1929;Galison 1990). This tying together of modern technology 10 Neurath was probably the member of the Vienna Circle most vigilant in his guard against metaphysics.…”

„Directed Perception“, „Mood“, „Social Reinforcement“. Sketches Towards the Historical Semantics of Ludwik Fleck’s Genesis and Development of a Scientific Fact

“…Hier wird einerseits ein kommunikationstheoretischer Strukturfunktionalismus entwickelt, der später dann Flecks Arbeiten grundiert, sowie andererseits eine makrogeschichtliche Differenzierungstheorie vertreten, auf der seit Mitte der 1920er Jahre der ,,Beschreibungs-, Verstehens-und Erklärungsoptimismus'' (Zittel 2007: 442 27 Ludwik Fleck schwebt genauso wenig im luftleeren Raum wie Edmund Husserl (Sommer 1985), Otto Neurath (Cartwright u. a. 1996), Rudolf Carnap (Friedman 1999 Cohen/Schnelle 1986, Löwy 2004, Stachel 2004, Egloff 2005, Griesecke 2008, Egloff/Fehr 2011, Hedfors 2006, 2007a, b, Zittel 2007. 2 Siehe Reichardt 1985, 1998, Busse 1987, Steinmetz 1993.…”

Relativizing the relativized a priori: Reichenbach’s axioms of coordination divided

“…6 In his first work, Reichenbach emphasised the importance of these two fundamental principles of knowledge, which appear to be compatible and whose validity is traced back to their status as synthetic a priori principles in the traditional Kantian fashion. 7 In this work, the importance of the principle of probability is crucially linked with that of the principle of causality, which in 1915 Reichenbach still considered as complemented by the principle of probability.…”