Abstract

Neurath's physicalist holism represents an internal critique of logical positivism in a period in which the debate concerned the perspective of the logical foundational reconstruction of scientific knowledge, as supported by Carnap in particular. In this article we will discuss the debate regarding protocol sentences which occurred in the thirties of the twentieth century within the Vienna Circle, emphasizing Neurath’s empiricist perspective and its influence on Carnap's thought toward fallibilist physicalism.

Keywords: Physicalism, Holism, Fallibilism, Unity of Science, Logical Positivism.