Publication Details

Abstract

75 years ago was born Rudolf Carnap, one of the most eminent represantants of presentlime philosophical scientism. He stimulated and with numerous discoveries enriched the theory and methodology of modern exact science. Already in his twenties, Carnap's interest was focussed at the analysis of scientific language and scientific methods, simultaneously dedicating his attention to the logical and empirical components of cognition. Though, in the beginning, his theoretico-scienticist analyses were limited to the syntactic properties of scientific language. Later on, however, Carnap linked semantics to the logico-syntatic analysis of scientific sentences, i. e., the theory of relationship between language and facts, the theory about concepts of importance and truth. Professor Carnap was one of the founders of the famous Viennese Circle (1929). In 1935, the political atmosphere in Central Europe becoming increasingly oppressive, after the accession of nazism, Carnap left for Chcafo. Shortly before the occupation of Austria, the other members of the circle left Vienna and scattered all over the world. In his American period, Carnap went on in elaborating the semantic method and endeavoured to reveal more deeper particularly the difference between intension and extension. Besides Carnap’s philosophical importance also the ethical features of his personality are to be emphasized; he did not cease to be eagerly interested in social progress, his thinking was always democratic and humanistic; he repeatedly raised his voice against war, for peace and for the brotherhood of nations.