A.J. Ayer, Language, Truth, and Logic | Subjectivist, Utilitarian, and Absolutist | Core Concepts

This is a video in my new Core Concepts series -- designed to provide students and lifelong learners a brief discussion focused on one main concept from a classic philosophical text and thinker.

This Core Concept video focuses on A.J. Ayer's work of logical positivism, Language, Truth, and Logic, and examines in particular the criticisms of three main positions in Ethics which he views as potential rivals to his own emotivist perspective. He calls these subjectivist, utilitarian, and absolutist perspectives.

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#Ayer #emotivism #philosophy

[michaelpisciarino]

Chapter 6: Critiquing
0:51 Subjectivist, Utiliatarian, And Absolutist Approches In Ethics

Subjectivist
Utilitarian- Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Henry Segwick
Absolutist- Kant, W.D. Ross

1:55 Pseudo-concepts
• Unable To Be verified
• Only really convey our approval/disapproval

3:23 Subjectivists
• What is good is what I approve of
• What is good is what society approves of

8:07 People change their minds

8:44 Utilitarianism
• Maximize The Good, The Positive, The Pleasure

10:54 Absolutists
• An Intuition
12:18 We can’t give any criteria

13:38 The Solution
• Ethical Statements are not verifiable
• We will only ever get to “I approve of X” and get no further

[AndrewIsbell]

Wait are you telling me hip hop artist Flo Rida's hit 2007 single "In the Ayer
" isn't about logical positivism?