def: "if there is no test to prove the truth or falsity of a claim then that claim is meaningless."
tf
Statements only have significance to our knowledge if they are objectively verifiable.
“jack's dog is barking,” “that tree is twenty feet tall,” and “there are thirteen midgets in this cafeteria” are all cognitively meaningful because there is a process that can prove their truth or falsity. we can hear jack's dog barking. we can break out measuring tape to determine if the tree is twenty feet tall. we can count the number of midgets. there are ways to determine if these statements are valid.
On the other hand, statements which cannot be proved true or false have no intelligible meaning.
“the universe is infinite because my alcoholic neighbor said so,” “the meaning of life is a life of meaning,” and “god exists because he came to me when I was on the shitter last night.”
None of these statements have cognitive meaning. there is no process for determining whether or not your drunken neighbor knows the truth about the universe. however, there are aspects to our consciousness other than cognitive thought, like emotions and spirituality. statements like "god exists" can still have meaning to our spiritual lives despite the fact that they cannot be objectively verified.
