Silke Körber M.A.

2023 March 1 - May, 31

Affiliation: Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

Research for a study about:

Thinking Clearly for a Modern Democracy: Susan Stebbing and Otto Neurath

Abstract

The period from the beginning of the First World War until shortly after the Second saw public involvement by an entire range of academics and intellectuals in Europe: confronted with the rise of dictatorships, the spread of political propaganda and manipulation by the political establishment and the sensationalist press, they trusted in modern science to provide a more transparent and coherent picture of the world.
The British philosopher Susan Stebbing, a central figure in the convergence of continental schools with analytic philosophy arising in Britain at the time, sought to show the relevance of modern logic to ordinary life and incorporated such developments in her theoretical work as well as in her public activities, particularly in conjunction with the Austrian émigré and member of the Vienna Circle Otto Neurath. Their collaboration has received little attention so far and will be examined in this project: This is planned within the framework of an editing project of a previously unpublished correspondence between Neurath and Stebbing as well as a contribution to an anthology on Stebbing's work. Both scholars’ views on the relevance of philosophy for contemporary existence and human interaction will be examined — thus, Stebbing and Neurath belonged to a generation of intellectuals who saw it as their duty to connect factual knowledge with public impact, and to use both in the service of a future society. They agreed that education and clear thinking were indispensable for the restoration of democratic societies, based on the ideals of participation and fairer distribution of political, economic and cultural power for as many people as possible.

Lecture

Thinking Clearly for a Modern Democracy: Susan Stebbing and Otto Neurath

Philosophy of Science Colloquium

This talk is going to be a in-person and hybrid event, at NIG (SR 2i) and can be followed via online Plattform.

Date: 2023 , May 11

Time: 3-4.30 pm CET

Online Plattform  access:

univienna.zoom.us/j/63035484129
Passcode: 226427 

No registered accounts are required, it's enough to click on the link and enter your name. Chrome or Firefox browsers work best.

Abstract:
The period from the beginning of the First World War until shortly after the Second saw public involvement by an entire range of academics and intellectuals in Europe: confronted with the rise of dictatorships, the spread of political propaganda and manipulation by the political establishment and the sensationalist press, they trusted in modern science to provide a more transparent and coherent picture of the world.
The British philosopher Susan Stebbing, a central figure in the convergence of continental schools with analytic philosophy arising in Britain at the time, sought to show the relevance of modern logic to ordinary life and incorporated such developments in her theoretical work as well as in her public activities, particularly in conjunction with the Austrian émigré and member of the Vienna Circle Otto Neurath. Their collaboration has received little attention to date and will be explored in this talk — also based on a previously unpublished correspondence — as well as their idea of the relevance of philosophy for contemporary existence and human interaction: Stebbing and Neurath belong to a generation of intellectuals who saw it as their duty to connect factual knowledge with public impact, and to put both in the service of a future society. They agreed that education and clear thinking were indispensable for the restoration of democratic societies, based on the ideals of participation and fairer distribution of political, economic and cultural power for as many people as possible.