A.J. Ayer
contemporaryLogical Positivism / Analytic Philosophy1910 – 1989
Alfred Jules Ayer (1910–1989) was a British analytic philosopher and the principal English-language proponent of logical positivism, most influentially through his 1936 work Language, Truth and Logic. He defended the verification principle as a criterion of meaningfulness and developed an emotivist account of ethical language. Ayer held the Wykeham Professorship of Logic at Oxford and was a central figure in twentieth-century British philosophy.
Notable Achievements
1
Introduced logical positivism to the Anglophone world through Language, Truth and Logic (1936)
2
Formulated the verification principle as a criterion of cognitive meaningfulness
3
Developed emotivism, arguing ethical statements express attitudes rather than describe facts
4
Defended phenomenalism and a sense-datum theory of perception
5
Contributed to the analysis of knowledge, probability, and personal identity in later work