In this collection of essays one of the preeminent philosophers of science writing today offers a reinterpretation of the enduring significance of logical positivism, the revolutionary philosophical movement centered around the Vienna Circle in the 1920s and '30s. Michael Friedman argues that the logical positivists were radicals not by presenting a new version of empiricism (as is often thought to be the case) but rather by offering a new conception of a priori knowledge and its role in empirical knowledge. This collection will be mandatory reading for any philosopher or historian of science interested in the history of logical positivism in particular or the evolution of modern philosophy in general.
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"This work is exactly what one hopes from a book on an historical philosophical movement: we come to understand not only the movement, but also how it relates to, and can enrich, our work." Review of Metaphysics
Book Description
In this collection of essays one of the preeminent philosophers of science writing today offers a reinterpretation of the enduring significance of logical positivism, the revolutionary philosophical movement centered around the Vienna Circle in the 1920s and 30s. Michael Friedman argues that the logical positivists were radicals not by presenting a new version of empiricism (as is often thought to be the case) but rather by offering a new conception of a priori knowledge and its role in empirical knowledge. This collection will be mandatory reading for any philosopher or historian of science interested in the history of logical positivism in particular or the evolution of modern philosophy in general.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent and important book,
By Jon Tsou (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Reconsidering Logical Positivism (Paperback)
This book is an excellent collection of essays by Michael Friedman (most of the essays have been previously published) on logical positivism. Friedman challenges the so-called "received view" of logical positivism (the focus of the essays are on Carnap, Schlick, and Reichenbach). Friedman demonstrates his rich understanding on the history of 20th century analytic philosophy, the exact sciences, and the positivists. The book also reflects Friedman's gifts as historian and philosopher. In my view, Friedman presents a persuasive case for viewing the positivists as neo-Kantians (especially, in the "relative a priori" that he argues that they articulate), however, he takes this interpretation a bit too far at some points (NB, a useful sequel to this book is Friedman's "Dynamics of Reason"). Nonetheless, the resulting book represents a valuable contribution to scholarship on logical empiricism and the history of analytic philosophy.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fresh view,
By
This review is from: Reconsidering Logical Positivism (Paperback)
There is a movement of reconsidering logical positivism since the 1990's. Anybody, who is interested in logical positivism, and wants to learn more on it, not just the received view, this book is interesting. But of course more essential for specialists, who must know about these new theories.
A lot of the received view on logical positivism is refuted in this book. All the content is by Friedman, some of it taken from his recent articles.
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent and important book,
By Jon Tsou (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Reconsidering Logical Positivism (Paperback)
This book is an excellent collection of essays by Michael Friedman (most of the essays have been previously published) on logical positivism. Friedman challenges the so-called "received view" of logical positivism (the focus of the essays are on Carnap, Schlick, and Reichenbach). Friedman demonstrates his rich understanding on the history of 20th century analytic philosophy, the exact sciences, and the positivists. The book also reflects Friedman's gifts as historian and philosopher. In my view, Friedman presents a persuasive case for viewing the positivists as neo-Kantians (especially, in the "relative a priori" that he argues that they articulate), however, he takes this interpretation a bit too far at some points (NB, a useful sequel to this book is Friedman's "Dynamics of Reason"). Nonetheless, the resulting book represents a valuable contribution to positivist and history of anlaytic philosophy scholarship.
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The appearance of these volumes is an event to be welcomed by all students of twentieth-century philosophy of science and, indeed, by students of twentieth-century philosophy generally. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
structural definite descriptions, intuitive spatiality, autopsychological basis, geometrical conventionalism, phenomenalistic system, new mathematical logic, nonempirical status, spatiotemporal intuition, nonlogical primitive, intuitive space, synthetic sentences, epistemological tendencies, mathematical magnitude, phenomenological constitution, analytic sentences, primitive recursive arithmetic, logical syntax, constructional system, descriptive expressions, verifiability theory, compare footnote, descriptive signs, protocol sentences, metrical geometry, elementary experiences Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Vienna Circle, Wittgenstein's Tractatus, Moritz Schlick, Principia Mathematica, Southwest School, Rudolf Carnap, Carnap's Aufbau, Karl Menger, University of Vienna New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The appearance of these volumes is an event to be welcomed by all students of twentieth-century philosophy of science and, indeed, by students of twentieth-century philosophy generally. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
structural definite descriptions, intuitive spatiality, autopsychological basis, geometrical conventionalism, phenomenalistic system, new mathematical logic, nonempirical status, spatiotemporal intuition, nonlogical primitive, intuitive space, synthetic sentences, epistemological tendencies, mathematical magnitude, phenomenological constitution, analytic sentences, primitive recursive arithmetic, logical syntax, constructional system, descriptive expressions, verifiability theory, compare footnote, descriptive signs, protocol sentences, metrical geometry, elementary experiences Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Vienna Circle, Wittgenstein's Tractatus, Moritz Schlick, Principia Mathematica, Southwest School, Rudolf Carnap, Carnap's Aufbau, Karl Menger, University of Vienna New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 34
books:
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61
books
cite this book:
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- Der logische Aufbau der Welt by Rudolf Carnap on 11 pages
- General Theory of Knowledge (Library of Exact Philosophy) by Moritz Schlick on 10 pages
- The Logical Syntax of Language (Open Court Classics) by Rudolf Carnap on 6 pages
- Philosophical Papers: Volume 1: (1909--1922) (Vienna Circle Collection) by Moritz Schlick on 5 pages
- The Theory of Relativity: & Other Essays by Albert Einstein on 4 pages
See all 34 books this book cites
- Carnap Brought Home: The View from Jena (Publications of the Archive of Scientific Philosophy Series) by Steve Awodey on 8 pages
- Language, Truth and Knowledge: Contributions to the Philosophy of Rudolf Carnap (Vienna Circle Institute Library) by Thomas Bonk on 4 pages
- History of Philosophy of Science: New Trends and Perspectives (Vienna Circle Institute Yearbook) by M. Heidelberger on page 40, page 376, and page 396
- Thomas Kuhn (Contemporary Philosophy in Focus) by Thomas Nickles in Front Matter, page 2, and page 102
- The Vienna Circle and Logical Empiricism: Re-evaluation and Future Perspectives (Vienna Circle Institute Yearbook) by F. Stadler on page 148, and page 361
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