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Logical Empiricism and the Sociology of Knowledge: The Case of Neurath and Frank

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2022

Thomas E. Uebel
Thomas E. Uebel*
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
*
†Send requests for reprints to the author, Centre for Philosophy, Department of Government, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
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Abstract

Logical Empiricism is commonly regarded as uninterested in, if not hostile to sociological investigations of science. This paper reconstructs the views of Otto Neurath and Philipp Frank on the legitimacy and relevance of sociological investigations of theory choice. It is argued that while there obtains a surprising degree of convergence between their programmatic pronouncements and the Strong Programme, the two types of project nevertheless remain distinct. The key to this difference lies in the different assessment of a supposed dilemma facing post-Mertonian sociologists of science.

Type
Metaphilosophy and the History of the Philosophy of Science
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 67 , Issue S3: Supplement. Proceedings of the 1998 Biennial Meetings of the Philosophy of Science Association. Part II: Symposia Papers Sep., 2000 , 2000 , pp. S138 - S150
Copyright
Copyright © 2000 by the Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

‡

The author wishes to thank his co-symposiasts and Marco Del Seta for helpful comments.

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