The Ghosts of Metaphysics: Logical Positivism and Disenchantment
The Ghosts of Metaphysics: Logical Positivism and Disenchantment
Chapter 9 explores the connections between the Vienna Circle of positivism and the esoteric milieu. It shows how the founders of logical positivism, such as Otto Neurath, presented their philosophy as a kind of magical revival. It also demonstrates that other positivists—such as Rudolf Carnap, Hans Hahn, and Kurt Gödel—had a pro-found preoccupation with ghosts and the paranormal. Taken as a whole, the book demonstrates how magic, like metaphysics, also haunts the beginnings of analytic philosophy. It also undoes notions of a dry and apolitical positivism, by describing positivist anti-metaphysics in terms of ideological critique.
Keywords: Vienna Circle, Rudolf Carnap, Hans Hahn, Otto Neurath, Kurt Gödel, Logical Positivism, Paranormal Research, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Max Horkeimer, Theodor Adorno, Psychic Research
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