Logical Empiricism and Naturalism

Dr. Bentley's primary interests are in the history of analytic philosophy and the history of philosophy of science, and in applying the insights gained from these historical studies to contemporary issues, primarily in philosophy of science and epistemology. His recent research focuses particularly on the work of Otto Neurath and Rudolf Carnap, and explores their respective projects providing a meta-theory for science. He is attempting to demonstrate the compatibility of their two projects as a form of naturalized epistemology which retains a conventional analytic/synthetic distinction, and is therefore distinct from more familiar Quinean approaches to epistemological naturalism.

"Logical Empiricism and Naturalism could be used by anyone who wants to quickly get up to date on where the literature stands now on Carnap and Neurath ... . The book is an engaging contribution to the best tradition within integrated history of analytic philosophy. I wish the book was cheaper on Springer’s site and contained a detailed Index of terms and names." (Adam Tamas Tuboly, Metascience, Vol. 33 (3), 2024)

• Introduction.- 1. Naturalism and the Vienna Circle.- 2. Neurath’s Epistemology of Science.- 3. Neurath’s Conception of Protocol Statements.- 4. Carnapian Explication.- 5. Quine, Carnap, and Analyticity.- 6. Challenges to the Bipartite Metatheory Interpretation.- 7. Bipartite Metatheory in Application.