An examination of the Concept of Meaning in Wittgenstein and Schlick

Abstract

<p>To examine the concept of' meaning in Wittgenstein's Tractatus, and to contrast this with the concept of meaning of meaning in the Logical Positivism of the Vienna Circle, as exemplified in Moritz Schlick's article "Meaning and Verification". I have examined the Picture Theory of Meaning, and the doctrine of 'showing forth' in the Tractatus, and found these to be dependent upon an a priori, view of logic. In Schlick I examined the Verifiability Criterion of Meaning, discussing claims it made, and claimed that this too must be accepted pre-theoretically. Finally, I compared the position of the two, and attempted some evaluation as to their success in eliminating metaphysics, and, in Schlick's case, establishing a sound basis for science.</p>