Verification Defines Truth

Logical positivism emphasizes that the validity of any claim rests on its verifiability, either logically or empirically. Metaphysical speculation, which cannot be tested or confirmed, is viewed as unproductive, resulting in confusion rather than clarity. This school of thought critiques traditional philosophy for creating unfounded assertions in an attempt to counter previous ideas. Central to this perspective is the verification principle: without a means to determine the truth of a statement, the statement lacks meaning. The philosopher must be able to specify conditions under which a proposition could be deemed true or false; otherwise, they do not fully grasp what their statement entails.