Berlin Circle (philosophy)
Encyclopedia
The Berlin Circle was a group that maintained logical empiricist
views about philosophy
.
It was created in the late 1920s by Hans Reichenbach
, Kurt Grelling
and Walter Dubislav
and composed of philosophers and scientists such as Carl Gustav Hempel
, David Hilbert
and Richard von Mises. Its original name was Die Gesellschaft für empirische Philosophie, which in English may be translated as "the society for empirical philosophy". Together with the Vienna Circle
, they published the journal Erkenntnis
("Knowledge") edited by Rudolf Carnap
and Reichenbach, and organized several congresses and colloquia concerning the philosophy of science
, the first of which was held in Prague
in 1929.
The Berlin Circle had much in common with the Vienna Circle
, but the philosophies of the circles differed on a few subjects, such as probability
and conventionalism
. Reichenbach insisted on calling his philosophy logical empiricism, to distinguish it from the logical positivism of the Vienna circle. Few people today make the distinction, and the words are often used interchangeably.
Members of the Berlin Circle were particularly active in analyzing the philosophical and logical consequences of the advances in contemporary physics
, especially the theory of relativity
. Apart from that, they denied the soundness
of metaphysics
and traditional philosophy and asserted that many philosophical problems are indeed meaningless.
After the rise of Nazism
, several of the group's members emigrated to other countries, including Reichenbach, who moved to Turkey
in 1933 and later to the USA in 1938; Dubislav emigrated in 1936; Hempel moved to Belgium
in 1934 and later to the USA in 1939; and Grelling was killed in a concentration camp. A younger member of the Berlin Circle or Berlin School to leave Germany was Olaf Helmer
who joined the RAND
Corporation and played an important role in the development of the Delphi method
used for predicting future trends, and other early forms of Social Technology
.
After emigrating to various countries the group effectively came to an end, but not without influencing a wide range of philosophers of the 20th century, its method having been especially influential on analytic philosophy
and futurology
.
Logical positivism
Logical positivism is a philosophy that combines empiricism—the idea that observational evidence is indispensable for knowledge—with a version of rationalism incorporating mathematical and logico-linguistic constructs and deductions of epistemology.It may be considered as a type of analytic...
views about philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
.
It was created in the late 1920s by Hans Reichenbach
Hans Reichenbach
Hans Reichenbach was a leading philosopher of science, educator and proponent of logical empiricism...
, Kurt Grelling
Kurt Grelling
Kurt Grelling was a logician, philosopher and member of the Berlin Circle.- Life and work :Shortly after his arrival in 1905 at University of Göttingen, Grelling began a collaboration with philosopher Leonard Nelson, with whom he tried to solve Russell's paradox, which had shaken the foundations...
and Walter Dubislav
Walter Dubislav
Walter Dubislav was a German logician and philosopher of science...
and composed of philosophers and scientists such as Carl Gustav Hempel
Carl Gustav Hempel
Carl Gustav "Peter" Hempel was a philosopher of science and a major figure in 20th-century logical empiricism...
, David Hilbert
David Hilbert
David Hilbert was a German mathematician. He is recognized as one of the most influential and universal mathematicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hilbert discovered and developed a broad range of fundamental ideas in many areas, including invariant theory and the axiomatization of...
and Richard von Mises. Its original name was Die Gesellschaft für empirische Philosophie, which in English may be translated as "the society for empirical philosophy". Together with the Vienna Circle
Vienna Circle
The Vienna Circle was an association of philosophers gathered around the University of Vienna in 1922, chaired by Moritz Schlick, also known as the Ernst Mach Society in honour of Ernst Mach...
, they published the journal Erkenntnis
Erkenntnis
Erkenntnis is a journal of philosophy that publishes papers in analytic philosophy. Its name is derived from the German word for knowledge recognition. The journal was founded by Hans Reichenbach and Rudolf Carnap in 1930. The journal was "refounded" by Wilhelm K. Essler, Carl G...
("Knowledge") edited by Rudolf Carnap
Rudolf Carnap
Rudolf Carnap was an influential German-born philosopher who was active in Europe before 1935 and in the United States thereafter. He was a major member of the Vienna Circle and an advocate of logical positivism....
and Reichenbach, and organized several congresses and colloquia concerning the philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
, the first of which was held in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in 1929.
The Berlin Circle had much in common with the Vienna Circle
Vienna Circle
The Vienna Circle was an association of philosophers gathered around the University of Vienna in 1922, chaired by Moritz Schlick, also known as the Ernst Mach Society in honour of Ernst Mach...
, but the philosophies of the circles differed on a few subjects, such as probability
Probability
Probability is ordinarily used to describe an attitude of mind towards some proposition of whose truth we arenot certain. The proposition of interest is usually of the form "Will a specific event occur?" The attitude of mind is of the form "How certain are we that the event will occur?" The...
and conventionalism
Conventionalism
Conventionalism is the philosophical attitude that fundamental principles of a certain kind are grounded on agreements in society, rather than on external reality...
. Reichenbach insisted on calling his philosophy logical empiricism, to distinguish it from the logical positivism of the Vienna circle. Few people today make the distinction, and the words are often used interchangeably.
Members of the Berlin Circle were particularly active in analyzing the philosophical and logical consequences of the advances in contemporary physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, especially the theory of relativity
Theory of relativity
The theory of relativity, or simply relativity, encompasses two theories of Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity. However, the word relativity is sometimes used in reference to Galilean invariance....
. Apart from that, they denied the soundness
Soundness
In mathematical logic, a logical system has the soundness property if and only if its inference rules prove only formulas that are valid with respect to its semantics. In most cases, this comes down to its rules having the property of preserving truth, but this is not the case in general. The word...
of metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
and traditional philosophy and asserted that many philosophical problems are indeed meaningless.
After the rise of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, several of the group's members emigrated to other countries, including Reichenbach, who moved to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in 1933 and later to the USA in 1938; Dubislav emigrated in 1936; Hempel moved to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in 1934 and later to the USA in 1939; and Grelling was killed in a concentration camp. A younger member of the Berlin Circle or Berlin School to leave Germany was Olaf Helmer
Olaf Helmer
Olaf Helmer was a German-American logician and futurologist. He was a researcher at the RAND Corporation from 1946 to 1968 and a co-founder of the Institute for the Future....
who joined the RAND
RAND
RAND Corporation is a nonprofit global policy think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the United States armed forces by Douglas Aircraft Company. It is currently financed by the U.S. government and private endowment, corporations including the healthcare industry, universities...
Corporation and played an important role in the development of the Delphi method
Delphi method
The Delphi method is a structured communication technique, originally developed as a systematic, interactive forecasting method which relies on a panel of experts.In the standard version, the experts answer questionnaires in two or more rounds...
used for predicting future trends, and other early forms of Social Technology
Social technology
The term Social Technology was first used at the University of Chicago by Albion Woodbury Small and Charles Richmond Henderson around the end of the 19th century. Small and Henderson were close colleagues, and it is hard to tell who used the term first...
.
After emigrating to various countries the group effectively came to an end, but not without influencing a wide range of philosophers of the 20th century, its method having been especially influential on analytic philosophy
Analytic philosophy
Analytic philosophy is a generic term for a style of philosophy that came to dominate English-speaking countries in the 20th century...
and futurology
Futurology
Futures studies is the study of postulating possible, probable, and preferable futures and the worldviews and myths that underlie them. There is a debate as to whether this discipline is an art or science. In general, it can be considered as a branch under the more general scope of the field of...
.