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Vienna Circle Institute Library Volume 4 Series editor Friedrich Stadler University of Vienna, Institute Vienna Circle, Wien, Austria Institut Wiener Kreis Society for the Advancement of the Scientifi c World Conception Advisory Editorial Board: Ilkka Niiniluoto, University of Helsinki, Finland Jacques Bouveresse, Collège de France, Paris, Otto Pfersmann, Université Paris I Panthéon – France Sorbonne, France Martin Carrier, University of Bielefeld, Germany Miklós Rédei, London School of Economics, UK Nancy Cartwright, London School of Alan Richardson, University of British Economics, UK Columbia, CDN Richard Creath, Arizona State University, USA Gerhard Schurz, University of Düsseldorf, Massimo Ferrari, University of Torino, Italy Germany Michael Friedman, Stanford University, USA Peter Schuster, University of Vienna, Austria Maria Carla Galavotti, University of Bologna, Karl Sigmund, University of Vienna, Austria Italy Hans Sluga, University of California at Berkeley, Peter Galison, Harvard University, USA USA Malachi Hacohen, Duke University, USA Elliott Sober, University of Wisconsin, USA Rainer Hegselmann, University of Bayreuth, Antonia Soulez, Université de Paris 8, France Germany Wolfgang Spohn, University of Konstanz, Michael Heidelberger, University of Tübingen, Germany Germany Thomas E. Uebel, University of Manchester, UK Don Howard, University of Notre Dame, USA Pierre Wagner, Université de Paris 1, Sorbonne, Paul Hoyningen-Huene, University of Hanover, France Germany C. Kenneth Waters, University of Minnesota, USA Clemens Jabloner, Hans-Kelsen-Institut, Vienna, Jan Woleński, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Austria Poland Anne J. Kox, University of Amsterdam, The Gereon Wolters, University of Konstanz, Netherlands Germany Martin Kusch, University of Vienna, Austria Anton Zeilinger, University of Vienna, Austria James G. Lennox, University of Pittsburgh, USA Juha Manninen, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Editorial Address: Studies, Finland Institut Wiener Kreis Thomas Mormann, University of Donostia / San Universitätscampus, Hof 1 Sebastián, Spain Spitalgasse 2-4, A–1090 Wien, Austria Edgar Morscher, University of Salzburg, Austria Tel.: +431/4277 46501 (international) Kevin Mulligan, Université de Genève, or 01/4277 46501 (national) Switzerland Fax.: +431/4277 41297 (international) Elisabeth Nemeth, University of Vienna, Austria or 01/4277 41297 (national) Julian Nida-Rümelin, University of Munich, Email: [email protected] Germany Homepage: http://univie.ac.at/ivc/ The titles published in this series are listed at the end of the volume. More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/7041 Friedrich Stadler The Vienna Circle Studies in the Origins, Development, and Infl uence of Logical Empiricism Friedrich Stadler Institut Wiener Kreis University of Vienna Vienna , Austria Abridged and revised edition of The Vienna Circle (Springer-Wien-New York: 2001). ISBN 3-211-83243-2 ISSN 1571-3083 Vienna Circle Institute Library ISBN 978-3-319-16560-8 ISBN 978-3-319-16561-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-16561-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015938229 Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Fig. 1 Entrance to the Mathematical Seminar at the University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5. Meeting place of the Vienna Circle (Schlick Circle) For Ivich, Serena and Mira Pref ace The fi rst edition of this book, The Vienna Circle , that was published in 2001 with Springer (Wien-New York) is now out of print. I have thus decided to have this sec- ond edition published as a revised and abridged version in the series “Vienna Circle Institute Library” (Springer: Dordrecht-Heidelberg-London). Another incentive was the fi rst big exhibition on the Vienna Circle that will be taking place in the main building of the University of Vienna, which is celebrating its 650th anniversary this year. The fi rst three chapters on the prehistory of the Vienna Circle in the context of Austrian philosophy were omitted in this edition, while new research literature as well as primary sources were added. The core text was copyedited again in order to improve legibility. The bio-bibliographic parts have been revised and slightly recon- fi gured. The website of the Institute Vienna Circle—www.univie.ac.at/ivc—regu- larly provides further information on current research on the Vienna Circle/Logical Empiricism. I am grateful to Dr. Christoph Limbeck-Lilienau for his research and copyediting work together with Martin Strauss and Robert Kaller for his technical support enabling this second edition, who are both affi liated with the Institute Vienna Circle. I would also like to thank the publisher Springer (Dordrecht), especially Lucy Fleet, for the good long-standing cooperation. Vienna, Austria Friedrich Stadler January 2015 ix Contents Prologue: On the Rise of Scientific Philosophy—An Overview .................. xv 1 The Origins of Logical Empiricism—Roots of the Vienna Circle Before the First World War ........................................................ 1 1.1 Mach, Boltzmann, Einstein, and the Vienna Circle ....................... 14 Part I The Vienna Circle and Logical Empiricism Between the Wars—Emergence and Banishment 2 The Vienna Circle and Logical Empiricism in the First Republic ............................................................................... 29 2.1 The Sociocultural Framework: The “Late Enlightenment” ........... 31 3 The Non-public Phase of the Vienna Circle 1918–1928 ....................... 41 3.1 The Formative Years 1918–1924: Hans Hahn— The “Actual Founder of the Vienna Circle” ................................... 41 3.2 The Institutionalization of the Schlick Circle 1924–1928: Between Tractatus and Structure ................................................... 44 4 The Public Phase of the Vienna Circle: From 1929 Until the “Anschluss” .......................................................... 59 4.1 The Internal Development of Logical Empiricism ........................ 59 4.1.1 The Schlick Circle—Overview and Documentation of Its Scientifi c Communication ...................................... 69 4.2 The External Development of Logical Empiricism Until the “Anschluss” .................................................................................... 146 4.2.1 The Ernst Mach Society (1928–1934) ............................. 146 4.2.2 The Manifesto The Scientifi c Conception of the World. The Vienna Circle (1929) ............................ 149 4.2.3 The First International Meeting—Prague 1929 ............... 153 xi xii Contents 4.2.4 The Lectures Presented at the Ernst Mach Society 1929–1932—A Commentary on the Popularization of the Scientifi c World Conception .................................. 155 4.2.5 Internationalization and Emigration Since 1930 .............. 161 5 Karl Menger’s Vienna Circle: The Mathematical Colloquium 1928–1936 ........................................................................... 195 5.1 The Mathematical Colloquium and Three Lecture Series ............. 199 5.2 The Principle of Logical Tolerance—The Relativization of the Dichotomy of Analytic and Synthetic Propositions ............. 201 5.3 Wittgenstein, Brouwer, and the Vienna Circle ............................... 203 5.4 Karl Menger and Kurt Gödel—The Genius as Seen by His Mentor ................................................................................ 205 5.5 The Mathematical Colloquium and Three Lecture Series— A Survey of Scientifi c Communication ......................................... 206 6 Wittgenstein and the Vienna Circle: Thought Style and Thought Collective ........................................................................... 219 6.1 Establishing Contact—The Outsider and the Group ..................... 219 6.2 The Physicalism Dispute: Between Reception and Plagiarism ................................................................................ 224 6.3 Mentalities: Philosophy and Science as Language-Games ............ 228 6.4 Conversations Between Wittgenstein, Schlick, and Waismann: An Overview ......................................................... 230 6.4.1 Preliminary Remark ......................................................... 230 7 Heinrich Gomperz, Karl Popper, and the Vienna Circle—Between Demarcation