Morphology of the Religious-Moral Ideas of A. J. Ayer and the Influence of Russell and Early Wittgenstein on Him

• Published in: International Journal of Ethics and Society Vol. 3; no. 2; pp. 6 - 15
• Main Author: Mohsen Shiravand
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Iranian Association for Ethics in Science and Technology 01-08-2021
• Subjects: ayer; early wittgenstein; ethics; religion; russell
• ISSN: 2981-1848; 2676-3338

Background: No doubt, A. J. Ayer is one of the contemporary philosophers who has unorthodox ideas in the domain of religion and ethics. In the domain of epistemology, Ayer believed that failure of “analysis” or “empirical proof” will lead to the meaninglessness of the proposition. Thus conceived, theological propositions are nonsensical while moral propositions are mere expression of feelings and then both of them are considered to be meaningless. Conclusion: The author believes that a major part of the ideas of Ayer is derived from such analytic philosophers as Russell and Early Wittgenstein. The objective of the present essay is the demonstration of the latter claim through the study and explication of the religious and moral ideas of Ayer. This essay is written based on the method of documentation and analysis. Among the results of this essay, one can refer to the demonstration of the deep influence of Russell and Early Wittgenstein on the religious and moral ideas of A. J. Ayer.