Define Logical Positivism.

Logical Positivism, also known as Logical Empiricism, was a philosophical movement that emerged in the early 20th century, primarily associated with the Vienna Circle and thinkers like Rudolf Carnap, A.J. Ayer, and Moritz Schlick. The movement sought to address issues in philosophy using the principles of logic and empirical verification.

Key tenets of Logical Positivism include:

1. Verification Principle: Logical Positivists advocated the Verification Principle as a criterion for meaningful statements. According to this principle, a statement or proposition is meaningful only if it can be empirically verified or is logically necessary.

2. Empiricism: Logical Positivists emphasized the importance of empirical evidence in the verification of statements. They rejected metaphysical or speculative claims that could not be empirically tested.

3. Anti-Metaphysics: The movement rejected metaphysics as meaningless, considering many traditional philosophical questions and debates about unobservable entities as devoid of empirical content.

4. Analytic-Synthetic Distinction: Logical Positivists distinguished between analytic statements (true by definition) and synthetic statements (dependent on empirical verification). They sought to reduce meaningful statements to either empirical truths or logical tautologies.

Logical Positivism had a significant influence on the philosophy of science and language in the early to mid-20th century. However, it faced criticisms and challenges, particularly concerning its own verification principle, and the movement eventually declined. Nonetheless, its impact on the development of analytical philosophy and the philosophy of science is noteworthy.