Otto Neurath in Britain

A comprehensive and accessible account of Otto Neurath's time in British exile during World War II.

Christopher Burke (Author), Adam Tamas Tuboly (Author)

9781009376297, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 January 2025

338 pages
23.2 x 15.9 x 2.5 cm, 0.64 kg

'Christopher Burke's and Adam Tamas Tuboly's rich and detailed study of Otto Neurath's final years fills a great gap in our understanding of this remarkable philosopher, economist and educationalist.  They let us see Neurath working for Enlightenment ideals like informed self-determination and intersubjective accountability – and hoping to rebuild Europe after the Nazi catastrophe.' Thomas Uebel, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Manchester

Otto Neurath (1882–1945) was an Austrian-born philosopher of science, sociologist and political economist, and one of the most multi-faceted and creative thinkers in the Vienna Circle. Forced into exile by fascism, he was part of the intellectual exodus from Central Europe. After an adventurous escape to England and internment as an 'enemy alien', he enthusiastically adapted to British culture, working on documentary films and publications for the war effort using the Isotype method of visualization. He treasured the British habit of 'muddling through', and debated planning and economics with fellow Central European émigrés, Friedrich Hayek, Karl Mannheim and Karl Popper. Based on new archival research, this book explores a little-known period of Neurath's rich and fascinating life, weaving together biographical, historical, and philosophical strands that reflect the cross-cultural currents of twentieth-century intellectual history through the lens of Neurath's contribution.

Introduction
1. Prelude
2. From Vienna to the Hague
3. Escape and internment
4. Becoming 'British furniture'–adapting to life in England
5. Logical empiricism in Britain
6. The language problem
7. Visual education
8. On German culture and post-war re-education
9. From socialist to democratic planning in context
10. 'Sociologist of happiness'
Coda
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Western philosophy, from c 1900 - [HPCF]