The criterion which we use to test the genuineness of apparent statements of fact is the criterion of verifiability. We say that a sentence is factually significant to any given person, if, and only if, he knows how to verify the proposition which it purports to express - that is, if he knows what observations would lead him, under certain conditions, to accept the proposition as being true, or reject it as being false.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A statement is meaningful only if one knows how to verify it through observations.
- In plain terms
- Meaningful statements must be verifiable by observation.
- What can you take from it?
- Facts require methods of verification to matter.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you know if something is true?
- What counts as evidence?
Another view
Some important ideas may not be directly verifiable.
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