What is philosophy and what are its distinctive features? What is its relationship to the sciences whose business it is to study the actual world? With what should philosophy concern itself?-These are the fundamental questions dealt with in the article by Alfred Ayer. These questions are important and interesting. The article is written in lively fashion and stimulates a desire to discuss these subjects. There are some matters on which we do not disagree with Ayer, but concur. At the same (...) time we would like to express some objections to certain of his basic positions. (shrink)

Modern physics is developing with extraordinary rapidity. It is passing through a tremendous revolution. The boldest and most fantastic imaginings, which only yesterday appeared virtually unrealizable, are being brought to reality in the course of this revolution.

Knowledge is systemic by its nature. The highest expression of the systematic character of knowledge is to be found in scientific theories. Any scientific theory is a rigorously organized conceptual system, quite complex in structure. What defines the manner in which knowledge is organized in a theory? Is it independent of the nature and structural features of that sphere of the material world for cognition of which the theory was created, or is it conditioned by these features and does it (...) derive from them? Is there a correspondence between the structure of knowledge concentrated in a theory and the structure of that fragment of material reality that is modeled by that theory? Is it possible at all for a theory to be a form of reflection of objective reality, if there is no definite correspondence between its structure and the structure of the region of reality to which it pertains? These questions are of primary importance to the treatment of the theory of scientific knowledge. (shrink)