Its History and Prospects
By C.J. Misak
Published November 23rd 1995 by Routledge – 272 pages
Series: Philosophical Issues in Science
Verificationism is the first comprehensive history of a concept that dominated philosophy and scientific methodology between the 1930s and the 1960s. The verificationist principle - the concept that a belief with no connection to experience is spurious - is the most sophisticated version of empiricism. More flexible ideas of verification are now being rehabilitated by a number of philosophers.
C.J. Misak surveys the precursors, the main proponents and the rehabilitators. Unlike traditional studies, she follows verificationist theory beyond the demise of positivism to examine its reappearance in the work of modern philosophers. Most interestingly, she argues that despite feminism's strenuous opposition to positivism, verificationist thought is at the heart of much of contemporary feminist philosophy.
Verificationism is an excellent assessment of a major and influential system of thought.
'The book is valuable for its clear and informative survey of the variety of verificationist options … an extremely helpful guide to an important theme in modern philosophy'. - MIND