Answer to Question #216231 in Philosophy for Jennifer Masanabo

Question

The Covid-19 pandemic that plagued the globe from the beginning of 2020, reset much of the population’s Positivist-based belief in the effectiveness and certainty of empirical science as scientific opinion on the virus changed rapidly. In this light, discuss this foundational precept of Logical Positivism, ensuring that your essay includes a critical discussion thereof.

Answer 1

Logical positivism holds that the ultimate basis of know-how rests upon public experimental verification as opposed to upon personal expertise (Weinberg, 2013). It offers a powerful vision of possibilities for modern expertise in regards to Covid-19 because steps are being put into consideration to ascertain that the pandemic does not entirely derail the success of economies. For instance, vaccines have been put in place to reduce the spread of the pandemic and online marketing has been embraced to ascertain that businesses and services continue. Wearing of masks, sanitizing and keeping a distance have also been put into consideration globally to ensure that set objectives are met irrespective of the pandemic. The indication here is that the world has set clear objectives that will not be affected by the pandemic in regards to implying the as a society, we are more powerful than the pandemic. Simply put, pragmatic aspects have not been considered in the case of the pandemic, because it is looked at as a deductive entity (Weinberg, 2013).

Reference

Weinberg. R. J. (2013). An Examination of Logical Positivism, Routledge.