Q&A: Regarding the discussion on empty concepts
Regarding the discussion on empty concepts
Question
Hello. Regarding the discussion on empty concepts: does every claim that a concept is empty amount to positivism rather than empiricism? For example, did Berkeley deny the existence of matter, or did he argue that matter is an empty concept?
Answer
No. Positivism holds that claims or concepts for which we have no way to measure are empty. But even someone who is not a positivist can argue that a concept or claim is empty for some specific reason.
I am not sufficiently familiar with Berkeley, but as far as I know he denied it, just like Hume and for the same reasons (extreme empiricism).
Discussion on Answer
Look it up online. What does that have to do with this discussion?
Hello, does the argument "to be is to be perceived" claim that anything not perceived (or not perceiving) is an empty concept, or does it merely deny the existence of things that are not perceived (or not perceiving)?
It depends on who is making the claim. It can be interpreted either way.
Thank you very much. If Berkeley denied matter and did not define it as an empty concept, then what is the difference between idealism and solipsism regarding matter?