AJ Ayer

He was British philosopher known for promoting logical positivism and the development of
Verificationism
Verificationism - philosophical movement which claims that language is only meaningful if it
can be verified by a sense-observation. Basically, to demonstrate the truth or falsity of a
statement, one must use empirical evidence. According to Ayer, if a statement is not
verifiable, then it is either meaningless. What Ayer meant by 'meaningless' was that a
statement was not "factually significant".
According to the verification principle, meaningful assertions fall into three categories:
1. Analytic: Statements that are true by definition contain their truth within the
premise and are necessarily true. They are logical propositions. A bachelor is an
unmarried man
2. Mathematical: 2+3=5
3. Synthetic: Statements that are verifiable through empirical examination can be
tested and are contingently true/false. They are empirical propositions. Elephants
are pink.
Implications of the Verification Principle for Religious Language Statements about God are
not mathematical or analytical logical propositions. Neither are they verifiable, and since
religious experiences are subjective and not universal, they do not form the basis for
empirical propositions. Therefore, according to the Verification Principle, religious language
is rendered meaningless.
Ayer also classified weak and strong verification.
Strong verification applied to anything that can be verified conclusively by observation and
experience.
Weak Verification refers to statements that can be shown to be probable by observation
and experience.