Vienna Circle Reading Group
Interested in the philosophical basis of science? Rankled by your futile attempts to verify whether or not nothing noths? Are you secretly into observation sentences and casting about looking for something to reduce? Or perhaps you’re just looking to steel yourself against that close reading of the transcendental deduction of the categories that’s incoming for FA26? Then have we got the community for you!
Come join the exclusive Vienna Circle Reading Group! While not in Vienna nor much of a circle, it is open to any student wanting to learn more about how to exclude metaphysicians.
- Times: meetings occur from roughly 7:00pm–8:00pm on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month (see schedule below), fun!
- Location: meetings will be held in LA2–204, although a zoom option is available: https://csulb.zoom.us/j/82991675631.
- Structure: each meeting will mainly consist in a brief 10 min presentation by a discussion leader, followed by 30 min of free-form discussion.
For further details, questions, or adjustments to scheduling of events, please contact organizers Nathaniel Mines and Nathan Wagester.
Spring 2026
January 8th
Neurath, Hahn, & Carnap, ‘The scientific conception of the world: Vienna circle‘ ([pamphlet], 1929)
January 22nd
Carnap, ‘The elimination of metaphysics through logical analysis of language‘ (1932/1959)
February 12th
Lewis, ‘Experience and meaning‘ (Philosophical Review, 1934)
February 26th
Schlick, ‘Meaning and verification‘ (Philosophical Review, 1936)
March 12th
Wittgenstein, ‘A lecture on ethics‘ and Waismann, ‘Notes on talks‘ (Philosophical Review, 1930/1965)
March 26th
Schlick, ‘What is the aim of ethics?‘ (Problems of Ethics ch. 1, 1930)
April 9th
Rand, ‘Logic of demand sentences‘ (Synthese, 1962)
April 23rd
Bergmann, ‘Remarks concerning the epistemology of scientific empiricism‘ (Philosophy of Science, 1942)
May 14th
Schlick, ‘Epistemology and modern physics‘ (1925/1979)
May 28th
Quine, ‘Two dogmas of empiricism‘ (Philosophical Review, 1951)