Scientific Philosophy: Origins and Development

"Scientific Philosophy: Origins and Development" is the first Yearbook of the Vienna Circle Institute, which was founded in October 1991. The book contains contributions to an international symposium which was the first public event to be organized by the Institute: "Vienna-Berlin-Prague: The Rise of Scientific Philosophy: The Centenaries of Rudolf Carnap, Hans Reichenbach and Edgar Zilsel." The first section of the book - "Scientific Philosophy - Origins and Development" reveals the extent of scientific communication in the inter-war years between these great metropolitan centres, as well as presenting systematic investigations into the relevance of the heritage of the Vienna Circle to contemporary research and philosophy. This section offers a paradigm for scientific philosophy, one which contrasts with the historiographical received "view" of logical empiricism. Support for this re-evaluation is offered in the second section, which contains, in English translation, Gustav Bergmann's recollections of the Vienna Circle, and an historical study of political economist Wilhelm Neurath, Otto Neurath's father.The third section gives a report on current computer-based research which documents the relevance of Otto Neurath's "Vienna method of pictorial statistics", or "Isotypes". A review section describes new publications on Neurath and the Vienna Circle, as well as anthologies relevant to Viennese philosophy and its history, setting them in their wider cultural and political perspective. Finally, a description is given of the Vienna Circle Institute and its activities since its foundation, as well as of its plans for the future.