The principle of verification, a central thesis in logical positivism, states that only statements that can be verified empirically are true. However, this principle was later criticized for being self-contradictory, as it cannot be verified empirically itself. This led to a crisis in the philosophy of language, particularly with regards to the concept of God, as critics argued that statements about God are merely emotive and do not refer to objective reality. The crisis in language was further exacerbated by the 19th century's attempt to redefine historic Christianity in naturalistic terms, which ultimately led to a loss of meaning in the concept of God.
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