6 most outstanding authors of ANALYTICAL philosophy

The authors of analytical philosophy are Ludwig Wittgenstein, Rudolf Carnap, Bertrand Russell, Willard Van Orman Quine, Donald Davidson, and Saul Kripke. We tell you!

Do you know who they were? main authors of analytical philosophy? Analytical philosophy, which emerged in the 20th century, is the most influential philosophical current in how we live and think today. His focus on logical language analysis of language and thought and addressing epistemological issues and methodologies related to science are two of the basic characteristics of a philosophical movement that is key to understanding our world.

In this lesson of unPROFESOR.com we tell you Who are the authors of analytical philosophy and his main contributions to the movement.

Between the main authors of analytical philosophy the following names stand out.

1. Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951)

ludwig wittgenstein he is one of the great names in analytic philosophy, being very influential among the rest of the analytic philosophers. One of his main works is the "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus", a book in which he laid the foundations of the logical analysis of language.

2. Rudolph Carnap (1891-1970)

Rudolf Carnap was the leader of the Vienna Circle, a group of philosophers and scientists sympathetic to logical empiricism and analytical philosophy. Carnap's works focused on subjects such as logic, semantics, and the philosophy of science.

3. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

Bertrand Russell is another of the main authors of analytical philosophy. He is considered one of the founders of analytical philosophy and laid the theoretical foundations of symbolic logic and the philosophy of language in his works "Principia Mathematica" and "Problems of philosophy".

4. Willard Van Orman Quine (1908-2000)

The American philosopher Quine stood out among analytic philosophers for his critique of logical positivism and his defense of naturalism. Among his works, "Word and Object" and "Two Dogmas of Empiricism" can be highlighted, keys to the philosophy of language and ontology.

5. Donald Davidson (1917-2003)

This American philosopher made important contributions within the field of philosophy of mind and language. The interpretative approach to language defended by him, in addition to his theory of the triangulation of meaning, have been fundamental within analytical philosophy.

6. Saul Kripke (1940- )

Saul Kripke is another of the authors of analytical philosophy whose work has been basic for the development of the philosophy of language and the philosophy of mind. One of his most outstanding works is "Naming and Necessity", a study in which he introduced the notion of "rigid designators".

In unProfesor we discover the differences between analytical and continental philosophy.

Analytical philosophy has made important contributions in various fields of knowledge, leaving its mark on some of the main areas of knowledge. The contributions of analytical philosophy are as indicated below:

1. The philosophy of language. Analytical philosophy focused on the logical and semantic analysis of language, developing tools and concepts to understand language structure, reference, truth, communication, and meaning. Among the main authors who worked in this line are Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Donald Davidson.
2. The philosophy of mind. Analytic philosophy also raised key questions and debates about the nature of the mind, perception, consciousness, and mental states. Thus, philosophers such as John Searle, Gilbert Ryle and David Chalmers analyzed the problems of the mind and the body, personal identity and the relationship between the mental and physical aspects of being human.
3. The philosophy of science. Likewise, analytical philosophy was concerned with epistemological and methodological questions related to science. Analytic philosophers explored the nature of scientific explanation, the role of observation, and experimentation, the structure of scientific reasoning and the limits between science and pseudoscience. An area in which philosophers such as Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn and Bas van Fraassen worked.
4. Ethics and moral philosophy. Analytic philosophy made notable contributions to the field of ethics, focusing on issues such as the nature of values, the meaning of ethical terms, moral decision-making and the foundation of principles ethical. Philippa Foot and Peter Singer carried out some of the most influential work in ethics and moral philosophy.
5. The philosophy of logic and mathematics. Analytical philosophy deepened the study of logic and mathematics, especially its foundations, its structure and its relationship with the real world. He also addressed questions about the nature of numbers, logical truths, provability, and the consistency of formal systems. Leading philosophers include Alfred Tarski, W.V.O. Quine and Hillary Putnam.