This major publication is a history of the semantic tradition in philosophy from the early nineteenth century through its incarnation in the work of the Vienna Circle, the group of logical positivists that emerged in the years 1925-1935 in Vienna who were characterised by a strong commitment to empiricism, a high regard for science, and a conviction that modern logic is the primary tool of analytic philosophy. In the first part of the book, Alberto Coffa traces the roots of logical positivism in a semantic tradition that arose in opposition to Kant's theory that a priori knowledge is based on pure intuition and the constitutive powers of the mind. In Part II, Coffa chronicles the development of this tradition by members and associates of the Vienna Circle. Much of Coffa's analysis draws on the unpublished notes and correspondence of many philosophers. The book, however, is not merely a history of the semantic tradition from Kant 'to the Vienna Station'. Coffa also critically reassesses the role of semantic notions in understanding the ground of a priori knowledge and its relation to empirical knowledge and questions the turn the tradition has taken since Vienna.

J. Albert Coffa traces the roots of logical positivism in a semantic tradition that arose in opposition to Kant's theory that a priori knowledge is based on pure intuition.
Reviews
'! throughout there is a stimulating and reassuring atmosphere of good judgement and good intellectual taste, not least in the choice of its subject, which is the most profound and exciting revolution in the history of human thought on the nature of logical and mathematical truth'. J. D. Kenyon, Times Higher Education Supplement



Book Information
ISBN 9780521447072
Author J. Alberto Coffa
Format Paperback
Page Count 460
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 693g
Dimensions(mm) 223mm * 152mm * 32mm