DOCSLIB.ORG

Rational Reconstruction: an Approach to a History of Philosophy

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Rational Reconstruction: an Approach to a History of Philosophy ISSN 1392-74-50 Marija ONIÐÈIK SOTER 2005.16(44) Rational Reconstruction: an Approach to a History of Philosophy The topic of an article belongs both to the philosophy Ðio straipsnio tema priklauso dviem filosofijos srit- of history as well as to a history of philosophy. The ims istorijos filosofijai ir filosofijos istorijai. notion under discussion is a rational reconstruction Straipsnyje analizuojama racionaliosios rekonstrukcijos as a method of reading the texts of thinkers of the samprata yra filosofijos istorijos tyrimo metodas, taiko- past, proposed by Richard Rorty. The article suggests mas praeities filosofø tekstams skaityti. Toks racio- some reflections on the relationships between philos- naliosios rekonstrukcijos supratimas bûdingas R. Rorty. ophy and its history. The method of rational recon- Straipsnyje siûloma apmàstyti filosofijos santyká su struction can be used in theological investigation as jos istorija. Racionaliosios rekonstrukcijos metodas well, for better understanding of past theological texts. gali bûti taikomas ir studijuojant teologijos istorijà. The article shortly discusses the origin of the notion Straipsnyje trumpai aptariama ðios sampratos kilmë, in question and emphasizes the link between contem- akcentuojamas ðiandienio filosofinio bei teologinio porary philosophical and theological discourse and diskurso istorinës sampratos ryðys su aktualiàja actual philosophical thought. filosofine mintimi. Introduction cussion can be viewed as useful for stu- dents education stimulating their interest in The object of this ar ticle is a method of reading the thinkers of the past. rational reconstruction, presented by Richard I make no claim to give a definition of a Rorty as a useful way of reading the thin- method of rational reconstruction. I would kers of the past. The aim of the article is to like rather to propose some reflections on discuss a methodology of the history of phi- the relationship between philosophy and its losophy and theology in order to point out history, which can probably be of some in- the very relevance of historical studies in terest for those who are trying to teach a the fiel. The method of the article can be history of philosophy in our times, when it described as a careful analysis of Rortys seems that nobody knows how to do it pro- proposals together with an independent in- perly, so that a history of philosophy as an terpretation of the outcomes which can spring academic discipline simply falls out of the from reconstructional reading of philosop- curriculum of the bachelor in philosophy; hical and theological texts. The article as well as for those who are interested in a claims rational reconstruction being of in- history of theology. terest for historians seeking better unders- tanding of our predecessors. However the main importance of the method consists in An Origin of a Notion of Rational its ability to serve the therapeutic purpose Reconstruction healing the metaphysical malaise of phi- losophy inherited from Modern times. The The question of rational reconstruction is a results of the analysis and successive dis- purely methodological one and it has its 244 Marija ONIÐÈIK own story. Being a Thomist and doing some tuitively. The constructional system is a investigations in the field of Analytical Tho- rational reconstruction of the entire forma- mism I have been using a rational reconst- tion of reality, which, in cognition, is car- ruction as a method of text reading. And ried out for the most part intuitively.3 Car- whenever I have been asked if what I do is nap also uses the term rational justifica- a history of philosophy, my answer was tion, because the aim of a reconstruction no. What I am dealing with is a contem- can be considered a kind of vindication of porary philosophy. Why is it so? It is known reality.4 The criteria of Carnaps reconst- that St.Thomas Aquinas and others thinkers ruction are strictly scientific but the very of the past are definitely dead by now and process of reconstruction involves an as- well buried. How can one treat ones philo- pect of retrospection, e.g., sophy and theology as a living thought? In reconstructing the recognition of the plant, How can one actually do ones own philo- the botanist has to ask himself what, in the sophy together with them? So the question actual act of recognition, was really perceived belongs to a link between history and philo- and what was the apperceptive synthesis (Ve- rarbeitung)? But these two components which sophy, it lays on an edge between a history are united in the result he can separate only of philosophy and the philosophy of histo- through abstraction. Thus, in rational reconst- ry, where the former becomes an object of ruction, construction theory has to distinguish, the later: the philosophy of history reflects by means of abstraction, between the purely 5 on a history of philosophy. It is a question given and the synthesis. of life and death. Here a choise between Here an abstraction is made by turning living thought and dead matters depends on back to an initial unity of a cognitional act. methodological alternatives. In reconstructing the real intuitive process A rational reconstruction as a method of of cognition6 , or a world language throught dealing with past philosophy is proposed by a realistic language into the symbolic Richard Rorty. Speaking of a history of phi- language of logistics,7 or even the cultu- losophy Rorty calls its main method a re- ral sciences8 Carnap attempts to embrace construction, meaning that reading of the not only all reality but what is more impor- dead philosophers1 is or should be a kind of tant for us, all fields of philosophy. Such a re-vivification which philosophy probably notion of rational reconstruction has ma- needs for therapeutic purposes: Just as the de its way into the philosophy of science patient needs to relive his past to answer being employed by Popper, Kuhn, and Fey- his questions, so philosophy needs to relive erabend, and today appears as a legacy of its past in order to answer its questions.2 all analytical philosophy. The influence of The very term rational reconstruction Thomas S. Kuhn has been crucial for the has its own quite cautionary story. Origi- notion to become an important part of what nally it belongs to Rudolf Carnap and his one can call the philosophy of a history of seminal work Der Logische Aufbau Der Welt philosophy because of his exlusive preoc- (The Logical Structure of the World) where cupation with the history of science thereby he speaks of rationale Nachkonstruktion. changing the very paradigm of the philo- Here Carnap proposes his construction the- sophy of history. ory with an ambicious aim at showing all G. A. Davia attempts to find an original reality as a kind of a logical structure by form of requirements for the method of ra- converting each part of it into a construc- tional reconstruction. According to him, a tional system, that is, by re-constructing merely descriptive reconstruction makes reality which is given to our perception in- the requirement of similarity with the ori- RATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION: AN APPROACH TO A HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY 245 ginal object. The second, more sophistica- thinkers in an imagined dialogue or conver- ted form of reconstruction called rational. sation about philosophical problems of our Rational reconstruction as a rational again- times. In doing this kind of reconstruction, construction (re- as again) is interested analytical philosophers are often accussed in making an object more equal to itself, of anachronism as anachronistic is con- e.g., by extracting essential elements and re- sidered to be the supposed force with which formulating and restructuring them. Its task is revealing formal or representational problems dead philosophers are resurrected to take and managing them by realising immanent pos- shape of our own interest. Using apparently sibilities to improve precision and consistency Kuhnian terms Rorty agrees with the charge, of the object of reconstruction.9 saying that such enterprises in commensu- This kind of reconstruction has a presc- ration are, of course, anachronistic. But if riptive character. Finally, extreme case of they are conducted in full knowledge of their anachronism, they are unobjectionable.12 rational reconstruction as rational new-const- Thus, in order to serve the purpose, anach- ruction (re- as new-) is interested in a material correction resp. improvement be ex- ronistic behavior should be conscious. ternal formal criteria. The descriptive compo- The other way of reading the texts of the nent reduces in the extreme case to the mere past is a historical reconstruction which factuality of initial material, exactly the object seeks to link up an author of the text in of reconstruction, which is subjected to the instruments of precision and consistency im- question to a particular socio-historical con- provement.10 text of his times, where and when, in the ironical Rortys words, their falsehoods Such a reconstruction requires a mini- look less silly.13 However, this kind of mum similarity between an object and a reconstruction appears to be only an initial product of reconstruction, it can contain rein- stage of reading a text. Rorty argues that terpretations of essential concepts and aban- don original intention of its object. there is indeed a sense in which we can un- derstand what a philosopher says in his own terms before relating his thought to ours, but that this minimal sort of understanding is like Rational Reconstruction as a Method being able to exchange courtesies in a foreign of a History of Philosophy tongue without being able to translate what one is saying into our native language. (...) Translating an utterance means fitting it into Trying to show a scientific nature of the our practices. (...) Successful historical reconst- reconstructional method Davias analysis of ruction can be performed only by people who the notion of reconstruction is quite fruitful, have some idea of what they themselves think about the issues under discussion.14 althought the author does not mention Ri- chard Rorty and his critique of the traditio- In the field of history, the aim of any nal interpretation of a history of philosophy.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Beaneyanalyticphil Historyphil.Pdf
    King’s Research Portal DOI: 10.1007/978-1-137-30487-2 Document Version Peer reviewed version Link to publication record in King's Research Portal Citation for published version (APA): Beaney, M. (2013). Analytic Philosophy and History of Philosophy: The Development of the Idea of Rational Reconstruction . In E. Reck (Ed.), The Historical Turn in Analytic Philosophy (1 ed., pp. 231–260). (History of Analytic Philosophy). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-30487-2 Citing this paper Please note that where the full-text provided on King's Research Portal is the Author Accepted Manuscript or Post-Print version this may differ from the final Published version. If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination, volume/issue, and date of publication details. And where the final published version is provided on the Research Portal, if citing you are again advised to check the publisher's website for any subsequent corrections. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the Research Portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognize and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. •Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the Research Portal for the purpose of private study or research. •You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain •You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the Research Portal Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
    [Show full text]
  • Rational Reconstruction and the Construction of an Interlocutor
    Rational Reconstruction and the Construction of an Interlocutor The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Prescott-Couch, Alexander. 2015. Rational Reconstruction and the Construction of an Interlocutor. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:23845505 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA RATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN INTERLOCUTOR A dissertation presented by Alexander Prescott-Couch to The Harvard Department of Philosophy in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of Philosophy Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts September 2015 ©2015 Alexander Prescott-Couch All rights reserved. DISSERTATION ADVISOR: NED HALL ALEXANDER PRESCOTT-COUCH RATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN INTERLOCUTOR Abstract There has been much recent work in philosophy of science on idealization – the way inaccurate representations can be used to understand a target system. My dissertation concerns a particular sort of idealization that is familiar but often overlooked: rational reconstruction. Rational reconstructions are “cleaned-up” – more coherent and accurate – versions of an individual’s or a group’s attitudes. They are the kind of idealized model that facilitates a crucial aim of the interpretive sciences, the understanding of another’s point of view. I provide an account of rational reconstruction and argue that such an account can help us make sense of many intellectual projects in the humanities and the interpretive social sciences.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction Is the Relationship Between Philosophy and Empirical Science
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives Habermas’ method: Rational reconstruction Jørgen Pedersen Dissertation for the degree philosophiae doctor (PhD) at the University of Bergen 2011 Til Thale, Synne og Anne Scientific environment This four year PhD project has been funded by the Faculty of Humanities. It has been located at the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities/ Senter for Vitenskapsteori (SVT) at the University of Bergen, which has provided the candidate with supervision and working facilities. Acknowledgments This PhD dissertation is the result of a collective effort where many of my friends and colleagues have contributed. I feel extremely privileged to have had so many supervisors who have given me excellent advice along the way. I want to thank my only formal supervisor, Cathrine Holst. Cathrine has the special gift of always finding the strong as well as the weak spots in a text. This gift, combined with her ability to suggest how to correct the weaknesses has been of great importance for my project. I also want to thank Cathrine for always being available for counselling, and for connecting me with many of my informal supervisors. I want to thank Anders Molander for suggesting the theme of rational reconstruction as a blind spot in the research literature on Habermas. This topic has offered me a great opportunity to explore the relationship between philosophical theory and empirical research, and thus enabled me to follow one of my research interests. Thank you also for good supervision along the way.
    [Show full text]
  • Passmore, J. (1967). Logical Positivism. in P. Edwards (Ed.). the Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Vol. 5, 52- 57). New York: Macmillan
    Passmore, J. (1967). Logical Positivism. In P. Edwards (Ed.). The Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Vol. 5, 52- 57). New York: Macmillan. LOGICAL POSITIVISM is the name given in 1931 by A. E. Blumberg and Herbert Feigl to a set of philosophical ideas put forward by the Vienna circle. Synonymous expressions include "consistent empiricism," "logical empiricism," "scientific empiricism," and "logical neo-positivism." The name logical positivism is often, but misleadingly, used more broadly to include the "analytical" or "ordinary language philosophies developed at Cambridge and Oxford. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The logical positivists thought of themselves as continuing a nineteenth-century Viennese empirical tradition, closely linked with British empiricism and culminating in the antimetaphysical, scientifically oriented teaching of Ernst Mach. In 1907 the mathematician Hans Hahn, the economist Otto Neurath, and the physicist Philipp Frank, all of whom were later to be prominent members of the Vienna circle, came together as an informal group to discuss the philosophy of science. They hoped to give an account of science which would do justice -as, they thought, Mach did not- to the central importance of mathematics, logic, and theoretical physics, without abandoning Mach's general doctrine that science is, fundamentally, the description of experience. As a solution to their problems, they looked to the "new positivism" of Poincare; in attempting to reconcile Mach and Poincare; they anticipated the main themes of logical positivism. In 1922, at the instigation of members of the "Vienna group," Moritz Schlick was invited to Vienna as professor, like Mach before him (1895-1901), in the philosophy of the inductive sciences. Schlick had been trained as a scientist under Max Planck and had won a name for himself as an interpreter of Einstein's theory of relativity.
    [Show full text]
  • Rational Reconstruction in the Nature of Scientific Truth
    Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh (Hum.), Vol. 60(1), 2015, pp. 91-107 RATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION IN THE NATURE OF SCIENTIFIC TRUTH Md. Abdul Mannan* Abstract Conventional wisdom suggests that scientific knowledge is objective and a proven truth. This paper challenges the conventional wisdom and argues that scientific knowledge offers only partial or relative truth. If we analyze some scientific phenomena such as theory-change and the unobservable entities assumed in science, we will find a different picture about the nature of scientific truth. Philosophers of science view these phenomena and seek to rationalize what is achieved by scientific discoveries: truth or something else. Looking at some such views we finally find that achievement of scientific enterprise is not absolute truth, but it is human truth - the truth which is relative to human conditions, be it intellectual or psychological. Introduction What kind of truth science obtains by its theoretical investigations? The question becomes more significant when we find that scientific theories assume some entities which are not observable -- neither in experience nor in instrument. Scientific entities such as aether, electron, gene, field and many other entities assumed by different theories are not observable. In describing these entities, are our theories true --- where there is no scope to compare between the assumed entities and the reality as such? Answer to this kind of questions depends on what we think about the nature of scientific enterprise. Our theories may or may not be true, but first of all, there must be the world external to our thinking. This view is called metaphysical realism which holds that there are truths about the actual structure of the real world that do not depend on cognitive capacities of human investigators.
    [Show full text]
  • CARNAP and the RATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION of the LANGUAGE of PHYSICS William Demopoulos Dedicated to the Memory of Herbert Feigl
    CARNAP AND THE RATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE LANGUAGE OF PHYSICS William Demopoulos Dedicated to the memory of Herbert Feigl 0 Introduction 1 Logicism, Hilbert and the problem of a priori knowledge 2 Special relativity and the fact/convention dichotomy 3 Theoretical and observational sentences 4 Correspondence rules 5 Ramsey and Carnap sentences and the distinction between the factual and the conventional 6 A Quinean problem and its solution 7 Considerations in favor of Carnap’s reconstruction 8 Is a theory its Ramsey sentence? 9 Empiricism and reconstruction 0 Introduction Carnap’s intellectual development is well-documented in his Autobiography for the Schilpp volume that is devoted to his work. It is, for the purposes of this paper, worth recalling that he was a student of Frege’s during the 1910 Fall semester and the Summer semesters of 1913 and 1914, studying first courses on Frege’s Begriffsschrift and, in 1914, taking the course, Logic in mathematics.1 Shortly after the First War, Carnap wrote Russell asking him where he might purchase a second-hand copy of Principia, post-War inflation in Germany being rampant and the Freiburg library without a copy; Russell responded by copying out by hand 35 pages of its central definitions. From the Autobiography we also learn that Carnap’s interest in philosophy of physics emerged early in his career: as a doctoral student, he formulated the intention of writing a dissertation on the axiomatization of special relativity. The less than enthusiastic reception of this idea by Max Wien, the head of the Institute of Physics at Jena, led him to write on the foundations of geometry instead.
    [Show full text]
  • Logical Positivism
    Published in The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief, ed. Tom Flynn, Prometheus Books, 2007 ___________________________________________________________________________________ LOGICAL POSITIVISM (also known as logical empiricism or logical neopositivism) was a philosophical movement risen in Austria and Germany in 1920s, primarily concerned with the logical analysis of scientific knowledge, which affirmed that statements about metaphysics, religion, and ethics are void of cognitive meaning and thus nothing but expression of feelings or desires; only statements about mathematics, logic and natural sciences have a definite meaning. Its members included Rudolf Carnap (1891-1970), considered the leading figure of logical positivism, Herbert Feigl (1902-88), Philipp Frank (1884-1966), Kurt Grelling (1886-1942), Hans Hahn (1879-1934), Carl Gustav Hempel (1905-97), Victor Kraft (1880-1975), Otto Neurath (1882-1945), Hans Reichenbach (1891-1953), Moritz Schlick (1882-1936), Friedrich Waismann (1896-1959). History. Einstein's theory of relativity exerted a great influence over the origin of logical positivism. Logical positivists were very interested in clarifying the philosophical significance of the theory of relativity. Schlick wrote in 1915 and 1917 two essays on relativity, Reichenbach attended Einstein's lectures on the theory of relativity at Berlin University in 1917 and wrote in 1920s four books on relativity, and Carnap's first work was an essay about the theory of space published in 1922. Also quantum mechanics was a major subject of philosophical investigations. Works about quantum mechanics were published by Schlick and Reichenbach. Another influence over logical positivism was exerted by the development of formal logic. Carnap attended three courses on logic under the direction of Gottlob Frege, the father of modern logic.
    [Show full text]
  • Reflection As Praxis : an Exegesis of the Work of Jurgen Habermas and a Consideration of the Implications of His Thought for a Radically-Motivated Education
    University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1983 Reflection as praxis : an exegesis of the work of Jurgen Habermas and a consideration of the implications of his thought for a radically-motivated education. Deborah Anne McIntyre University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation McIntyre, Deborah Anne, "Reflection as praxis : an exegesis of the work of Jurgen Habermas and a consideration of the implications of his thought for a radically-motivated education." (1983). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 3896. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/3896 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. REFLECTION AS PRAXIS: AN EXEGESIS OF THE WORK OF JURGEN HABERMAS AND A CONSIDERATION OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF HIS THOUGHT FOR A RADICALLY-MOTIVATED EDUCATION A Dissertation Presented By DEBORAH ANNE MclNTYRE Submitted to the Graduate School of the of the University of Massachusetts in partial fulfillment requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION MAY 1983 REFLECTION AS PRAXIS: AN EXEGESIS OF THE WORK OF JURGEN HABERMAS AND A CONSIDERATION OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF HIS THOUGHT FOR A RADICALLY-MOTIVATED EDUCATION A Dissertation Presented By DEBORAH ANNE McINTYRE Approved as to style and content by: Donald BankL, Member Howard Gad 1 in. Member — - . Haribaranan Swamirbwamina criau Acting Dean School of Education il ; ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This dissertation was written over the spring and summer of 1977.
    [Show full text]
  • Imre Lakatos and a Theory of Rationality
    Imre Lakatos and a Theory of Rationality Leslie Allan Published online: 14 January 2016 Copyright © 2016 Leslie Allan In this comprehensive work on theories of rationality, Leslie Allan builds on the seminal insights of Imre Lakatos. Allan begins by critically reviewing Lakatos’ theory of rationality (MSRP) and his meta-theory of rationality (MHRP) and suggesting improvements to his scheme. Allan’s main task is developing a theory of rationality that avoids Lakatos’ Achilles’ heel; the presupposition that science is a rational enterprise. To achieve this, he attempts to draw out from the general demands of an objectivist epistemology the various criteria of dependence and independence applying to evidence-statements. He concludes by considering two serious objections to his framework. To cite this essay: Allan, Leslie 2016. Imre Lakatos and a Theory of Rationality, URL = <http://www.RationalRealm.com/downloads/philosophy/ImreLakatosTheoryRationality.pdf> To link to this essay: www.RationalRealm.com/downloads/philosophy/ImreLakatosTheoryRationality.pdf Follow this and additional essays at: www.RationalRealm.com This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sublicensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms and conditions of access and use can be found at www.RationalRealm.com/policies/tos.html Leslie Allan Imre Lakatos and a Theory of Rationality 1. Introduction Imre Lakatos may be characterized as having held two major theses in the philosophy of science. The first thesis was proposed in answer to the question, ‘What is science and what are its methods?’ Lakatos’ answer to this problem was that science is a body of knowledge arrived at by a methodology of competing research programmes.1 His second thesis was in answer to the problem of developing and testing theories of rationality.
    [Show full text]
  • Heuristic, Methodology Or Logic of Discovery? Lakatos on Patterns of Thinking
    Heuristic, Methodology or Logic of Discovery? Lakatos on Patterns of Thinking Olga Kiss Budapest Corvinus University Heuristic is a central concept of Lakatos’ philosophy both in his early works and in his later work, the methodology of scientiªc research programs (MSRP). The term itself, however, went through signiªcant change of mean- ing. In this paper I study this change and the ‘metaphysical’ commitments be- hind it. In order to do so, I turn to his mathematical heuristic elaborated in Proofs and Refutations. I aim to show the dialogical character of mathemat- ical knowledge in his account, which can open a door to hermeneutic studies of mathematical practice. Heuristic or Methodology? The subtitle of Lakatos’ Proofs and Refutations is: The Logic of Mathematical Discovery (Lakatos, 1976). Although in the original version published in 1963 in the British Journal for the Philosophy of Science there was no such subtitle, it was not the invention of the editors. The unpublished 1961 Cambridge Ph.D. thesis of Lakatos has the same title (“Essays in the Logic of Mathematical Discovery”), and it was an early version of Proofs and Refu- tations.—But was it really a logic of mathematical discovery? And if it was, in what sense? There is a footnote in “History of science and its rational reconstruc- tions” (1970), a paper Lakatos wrote almost ten years later, in which he made the distinction explicit: heuristic means the rules of discovery, while logic of discovery or methodology makes the rules for appraising already An earlier version of a part of this paper was presented at the Conference of the Interna- tional Society for Hermeneutics and Science at Stony Brook, New York in 1994.
    [Show full text]
  • Article Appeared in a Journal Published by Elsevier
    This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier’s archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/copyright Author's personal copy Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 40 (2009) 14–24 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Studies in History and Philosophy of Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/shpsa The Left Vienna Circle, Part 1. Carnap, Neurath, and the Left Vienna Circle thesis Sarah S. Richardson Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Bldg. 240, Room 108, Stanford, CA 94305-2022, USA article info abstract Article history: Recent scholarship resuscitates the history and philosophy of a ‘left wing’ in the Vienna Circle, offering a Received 28 May 2007 counterhistory to the conventional image of analytic philosophy as politically conformist. This paper dis- Received in revised form 1 August 2008 putes the historical claim that early logical empiricists developed a political philosophy of science. Though some individuals in the Vienna Circle, including Rudolf Carnap and Otto Neurath, believed strongly in the importance of science to social progress, they did not construct a political philosophy of science.
    [Show full text]
  • University Microfilms International 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 USA St
    INFORMATION TO USERS This material was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the original submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or patterns which may appear on this reproduction. 1. The sign or "target" for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is "Missing Page(s)". If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting thru an image and duplicating adjacent pages to insure you complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a large round black mark, it is an indication that the photographer suspected that the copy may have moved during exposure and thus cause a blurred image. You willa find good image of the page in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., was part of the material being photographed the photographer followed a definite method in "sectioning" the material. It is customary to begin photoing at the upper left hand corner of a large sheet and to continue photoing from left to right in equal sections with a small overlap. If necessary, sectioning is continued again — beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete. 4. The majority of users indicate that the textual content is of greatest value, however, a somewhat higher quality reproduction could be made from "photographs" if essential to the understanding of the dissertation.
    [Show full text]