Abstract
In a sense clubs and societies were to many late 19th century Europeans what television and computers have become for most denizens of our fast developing electronic age. There were scores of intellectual societies, but comparatively few of them were formal, few kept full records, and few have been anything like as influential in their day or later as the Philosophische Gesellschaft an der Universität Wien.1 Indeed, for thirty-four years, that is, from 1888 to 1922, the centerpiece of reflective Vienna would remain the University of Vienna Philosophical Society, nor did it finally expire until 1938 and the Hitler Anschluss.
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Notes
2 Ernst Mach was still registered as a member in 1913, the year he left for Vaterstetten, Bavaria. He resigned from the Austrian Academy of Sciences during that year, but no evidence has surfaced yet that he also resigned from the Philosophical Society. See John Blackmore & Klaus Hentschel (Hrsg.), Ernst Mach als Aussenseiter,Braumüller: Wien, 1985, pp. 113–116.
Alois Höfler), Rückblick auf die ersten fünfundzwanzig Vereinsjahre der Philosophischen Gesellschaft an der Universität zu Wien mit dem 26. Bericht für das Jahr 1912/13,im Selbstverlag der Philosophischen Gesellschaft: Wien, 1913, p. 38–39. For a much more accessible source see Black-more, op. cit. (1995), p. 300.
Wilhelm Ostwald, “Energetische Theorie des Glücks - Anhang” in Wissenschaftliche Beilage zum achtzehnten Jahresbericht (1905) der Philosophischen Gesellschaft an der Universität zu Wien. Verlag von Johann Ambrosius Barth: Leipzig, 1905, p. 4. See also Ibid. ( Blackmore, 1995 ), p. 305.
Rückblick, op. cit. (1913), p. 3. See in addition Richard. Meister, “Die Geschichte der Philosophischen Gesellschaft an der Universität Wien 1888–1938”, in Robert Reininger, 50 Jahre Philosophische Gesellschaft an der Universität Wien 1888–1938, Verlag der Philosophischen Gesellschaft: Wien, undated but presumably 1938 or 1939, pp. 3–19.
Boltzmann had taken eight courses under Zimmermann as a student during the 1860’s.
The University of Vienna Philosophy Library has the Berichte until 1916–17.
Please see 50 Jahre Philosophische Gesellschaft an der Universität Wien 1888–1938,Herausgegeben vom kommissarischen Leiter der Gesellschaft Univ.-Prof. Dr. Robert Reininger, Verlag der Philosophischen Gesellschaft an der Universität Wien, Druck E. Kainz vorm. J.B. Wallishauser, Wien VIII, undated (1938–39?).
Schlick’s circle usually met in the mathematics seminar in the Institut fir Physik on Boltzmann-gasse in Vienna every Thursday evening. Gomperz’s circle met at his home at Grünbergstrasse 25 on Saturdays. See Friedrich Stadler, “Heinrich Gomperz and Karl Popper im Kontext des Logischen Empirismus” in Heinrich Gomperz, Karl Popper and Die Österreichische Philosophie,herausgegeben von Martin Seiler and Friedrich Stadler, (Studien zur Österreichischen Philosophie, Band)(XII), Rodopi: Amsterdam, 1994, p. 6.
Sir Karl Popper, Unended Quest - An Intellectual Autobiography, Fontana/Collins: Glasgow, 1980, p. 84.
R. Reininger, “Verzeichnis der Vorträge and Aussprachen”, 50 Jahre Philosophische Gesellschaft an der Universität Wien 1888–1938, Verlag Philosophischen Gesellschaft an der Universität Wien, Vienna, 1938, pp. 21–37.
There is a report Ludwig Boltzmann intervened rather emotionally in the discussion on solipsism. Hannelore Rodlauer, Otto Weininger - Eros and Psyche, Studien and Briefe 1899–1902. Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften: Vienna, 1990, p. 24.
Jerusalem defended Mach’s psychological understanding of logic. Husserl had insisted that logic was idealized or consisted of universals and was not “psychologistic”. While Husserl remained a corresponding member of the Society for many years it is not certain how often his position in Göttingen allowed him to attend its sessions. What is known is that he helped set up his own philosophical society in Göttingen in 1907.
Mach had argued in his Beiträge zur Analyse der Empfindungen in 1886 that space and time were sensations, but he later backtracked, admitted doubt and sometimes considered them to be relations while often distinguishing between what he called “physiological”, “physical”, and “metric” space and time.
Ernst Mach’s book Erkenntnis and Irrtum had just appeared with several chapters on psychological and physiological approaches to space, time, geometry, and distance, and which seem to have stimulated several lecturers in the Society. See also the titles of lectures for January 19 and 30, 1906 and later ones as well. For his own point of view, see Ernst Mach, Knowledge and Error,with an introduction by Erwin N. Hiebert, Reidel: Dordrecht, 1976, chapters XX to XXIV.
Wilhelm Jerusalem, one of Ernst Mach’s closest friends and philosophical ally on most questions, is known as the man who introduced pragmatism into Austria, though one could argue that Ludwig Boltzmann had already done so in a philosophy lecture in 1903. Jerusalem is also known as a leading figure in the attempt to organize a sociology society in Austria.
Lectures and discussions on religion were rather rare in Alois Höfler’s science-focused Society, but became increasingly common after 1922, that is, during Reininger’s period as leader. Ehrenfels as a co-founder of the Society and a fellow alumnus of Brentano could naturally talk on virtually any subject he wanted.
Ernst Mach had died in February 1916. The lectures of Kraft and Neurath would help commemorate his life and work.
The years 1921 and 1922 would see the death of many members of the “old guard” in the Society, Meinong, Stöhr, and of course Höfler. Unfortunately, the Society was not yet in a position to resume publishing any of the many spoken obituaries on these men.
Mach’s book Die Prinzipien der physikalischen Optik was posthumously published under the editorship of his son Ludwig in 1921. See Michael Stöltzner’s article in this volume. Neurath published “Die Verirrten des Cartesius and das Auxiliarmotiv” in the Society’s Yearbook for 1913 and “Zur Klassifikation von Hypothesensystemen (mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Optik)” in the Yearbook for 1914115. pp. 39–63. Outside the Society he published: “Prinzipielles zur Geschichte der Optik”, Archiv, für Geschichte der Natuurwissenscha ften und Technik,5 (1915) 371–389.
These two talks Commemorated the death of Karl Neisser who had been one of the original founders of the Society during the late 1880’s.
Rudolf Wlassak, like Friedrich Adler, will probably be discussed in the forthcoming volume Re-Discovering Ernst Mach’s Dn fluuence,which will include a section on Zürich. Avenarius who didn’t like Zürich, but taught there from 1876 to 1896, will he discussed with Petzoldt elsewhere.
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Blackmore, J., Itagaki, R., Tanaka, S. (2001). The University of Vienna Philosophical Society. In: Blackmore, J., Itagaki, R., Tanaka, S. (eds) Ernst Mach’s Vienna 1895–1930. Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol 218. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9690-9_12
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