Rudolf Carnap's Ideas in Philosophy of Language in the context of conceptual engineering

Authors

  • Irina N. Griftsova Moscow Pedagogical State University
  • Natalya Yu. Kozlova Moscow Pedagogical State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5840/eps202461111

Keywords:

Rudolf Carnap, language engineering, conceptual engineering, conceptual re-engineering, concept, explication, logical syntax of language, principle of tolerance

Abstract

The past decade has seen a notable development of conceptual engineering – a field of analytical philosophy that focuses on the critical evaluation of concepts. Most authors engaged in this field identify Rudolf Carnap's ideas as the field’s methodological framework and theoretical origin placing particular emphasis on the philosopher's method of explication. This article highlights the unquestionable influence that Carnap's thought on conceptual engineering cannot be reduced to the utilisation and advancement of explication within this field of analytical philosophy: indeed, conceptual engineering has incorporated – and brought to the forefront – much broader tenets of Carnap's concept. This study draws on a series of Carnap's works, as well as son his 'Intellectual Autobiography', to trace the evolution of his ideas about language and describe the fundamental elements revealing the 'engineering perspective' in his reflection. Most clearly, this perspective is evident in his interpretation of logic as a conceptual tool for acquiring and processing knowledge, 'assembling' it into a structure and refining the procedures of logic itself. It is shown that the origins of the engineering perspective trace back, on the one hand, to Carnap's interest in the methodological framework of physics, particularly the measurement problem and its epistemological analysis, and, on the other, his fascination with interpretations of the nature of mathematical theory and the idea of unifying logicism and formalism by introducing the principle of tolerance, which adds a pragmatic dimension to methodology. The article examines in detail the ideas of explication and its theoretical origins, which lie, in particular, in Carnap's intention to exactify the notions expressing the degree of validity and probability. His idea of a link between the results of explication and its goal became the central principle of conceptual engineering, distinguishing it from mere conceptual analysis. It is concluded that, when considered together, Carnap's two major ideas – explication and the principle of tolerance – can be placed in a broader context of a project seeking a rational reconstruction of the life of society and providing it with knowledge-based underpinnings.

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Published

2024-09-10

How to Cite

[1]
2024. Rudolf Carnap’s Ideas in Philosophy of Language in the context of conceptual engineering. Epistemology & Philosophy of Science. 61, 1 (Sep. 2024), 122–133. DOI:https://doi.org/10.5840/eps202461111.