ple, of the concept “dog” does not therefore exclude physical dogs, such as the dogs Rex, King, and Fido, from the class of real dogs (which, however, idealistic and realistic metaphysical philosophy implies by predicating that Rex, King, and Fido either lack reality or have a lesser degree of reality than does the concept dog). Contrary to metaphysical philosophy, Hägerström argued that in order to have any meaningful knowledge of the external world (empirical reality), one must assume that mind and matter share at least one common property in the formulation of concepts.According to Hägerström, this common property was the existence of a corresponding logical order in the mind and material world. Hence, a concept is only real if it: a) is logical (free from contradictions); b) verifiable (is a proposition about something); and c) expresses real facts (for example, material common properties among dogs).The assumption about the corresponding logical order is thus the only way by which we may acquire any logically coherent concepts of reality - which is the ultimate fundamental in relation to tenable knowledge and science.The validity of knowledge and science thus depends upon the (postulated) correspondence between mind (governed by the validity of the law of contradictions) and matter (governed by the law of identity) - a correspondence that must be understood as being that of a non-contradictory relationship between concepts and their references in the physical world.194 Hägerström considered the terms “reality”,“determinateness”, and “self-identity”to be synonyms, as well as the implied predicate(s) of any proper judgment or proposition.195 This is adefinition of reality that is undeniably laid down with the fundamental laws of thought kept in mind.196 Hägerström’s application of the correspondence theory of truth and his definition of a judgment as a mental act predicating the reality of something necessitates a ca l l f o r s c i e n t i f i c p u r i t y 233 194 Cf. ibid. 195 Hägerström, “Hägerström.”; “The Philosophy of Axel Hägerström.” 196 These laws are the law of identity, the law of contradictions and the law of the excluded third.
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