epistemological principles,which again is the testing ground upon which they appear whenever they are juxtaposed. According to Hägerström’s philosophy the nature of knowledge, in conjunction with the laws of thought, implies that there exists a definite relationship between knowledge and its object, between reality and the things, acts, relations, and circumstances ideally covered by true knowledge.186 This relationship is a corollary to his assumption of the intrinsically logical character of reality.Accordingly, the relationship between reality and knowledge is therefore necessarily one of logical consistency, in which the relationship must adhere to the fundamental laws of thought. Therefore, if knowledge and reality have a definite relationship to one another, then not only knowledge is logical to its nature, but so is reality as well (both in reference to things, concepts and their extensions).187 As shown, in order to uncover the true structure of reality and to criticize metaphysical theories, Hägerström adhered to a single strictly logical view regarding the structures of reality and knowledge as well as a logical view of their relationship towards each other.This principle of parsimony thus indicates that Hägerström definitely rejected subjectivism and metaphysical philosophy.188 The primary reason for rejection is that metaphysical philosophy is incapable of sustaining knowledge of reality in any coherent way. Metaphysics can therefore never provide tenable knowledge of reality, thereby failing to fulfill the implicit theoretical and practical aim of science. Consequently, metaphysics had, as far as Hägerström could see, failed epistemology and ontology and was therefore of no help to or in the realm of science.189 a ca l l f o r s c i e n t i f i c p u r i t y 231 4 . 2 log ic, ontology and e p i stemology princi ple of par s imony 186 Ibid., pp. 9-10 and 20-21. 187 Cf. ibid., pp. 18-19. 188 Ibid., p. 5. 189 This,however,does not imply that Hägerström adhered to apragmatic epistemology:
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