Abstract

A.J Ayer occupies an unusual and unique position in the history of twentieth century philosophy. He remains both famous and infamous. In England particularly, few philosophers are as well known outside academia; perhaps only Russell and Wittgenstein are more familiar to the general public than Ayer. And yet within philosophy, his work and legacy attract nothing like the respect or reverence of those peers. Ayer is well known amongst philosophers, but not so well thought of. Language, Truth and Logic, the book that made his name and defines his legacy, is extraordinarily well known, easily available, and still features on many undergraduate syllabi, but is remembered primarily as a thrillingly brash failure. And as controversial as the content of LTL is its frequent use as the English language bible of Logical Empiricism (at least to scholars of the Vienna Circle).