According to the logical positivists, the utterance "God exists" is
meaningless.
Here's why:
* The Verification Principle: Logical positivism was founded on the verification principle. This principle stated that a statement is only meaningful if it can be empirically verified or falsified, or if it is a tautology (true by definition).
* Lack of Empirical Verification: The statement "God exists" cannot be empirically verified. There is no sensory experience or experiment that can conclusively prove or disprove God's existence.
* Not a Tautology: The statement "God exists" is not a tautology; it is not true by definition.
Therefore, because the statement "God exists" cannot be empirically verified or falsified, and it is not a tautology, logical positivists considered it to be cognitively meaningless. This does not necessarily mean they believed God does not exist, but rather that the statement itself has no factual content or significance. It is considered a pseudo-statement.
It's important to note that logical positivism and its verification principle have been widely criticized and are no longer widely accepted as a viable philosophy of language. However, the logical positivists' view on the meaning of the statement "God exists" is a crucial aspect of their philosophical position.