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Hans Reichenbach's Birth
Hans Reichenbach was born in Hamburg, in present day Germany. He studied engineering, mathematics, physics, and philosophy and was an associate of many famous philosophers and scientists, such as Albert Einstein. He was also heavily involved in social activism and reform (Mauro).
Mauro Murzi. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, www.iep.utm.edu/reichenb/. -
First Publication
Reichenbach published "The Theory of Relativity and A Priori Knowledge". His earler views tried to merge the ideals of Kant into modern language. A letter from Moritz Schlick convinced him that Kantian ideals were outdated, and should be discarded completely (Glymor 2008)
.Glymour, Clark, and Frederick Eberhardt. “Hans Reichenbach.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 24 Aug. 2008, plato.stanford.edu/entries/reichenbach/. -
Founding the Berlin Circle
Reichenbach helped evolve Logical Empiricism, also known as Logical Positivism by co-founding the Berlin Circle. This group, along with others such as the Vienna Circle included many famous scientists and philosophers. One of their key concepts was emotive theory which argues that a sentence is only valid if it can be empirically verified.
Philosophy, Total. “Total Philosophy: A.J Ayer's Emotivism.” YouTube, YouTube, 8 Nov. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzBoW7yQpr8. -
The Rise of Hitler
As Nazism gained power, Reichenbach was fired from university position because he had Jewish ancestry. He emigrated to Turkey, where he continued to teach, and continued writing under the guidance of logical empiricism, decrying the usage of morals, ethics, and feelings in philosophy and science (Mauro)
Mauro Murzi. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, www.iep.utm.edu/reichenb/. -
Philosophy and Mathematics
While in Turkey, Reichenbach continued applying his philosophical views to other disciplines. His publication "The Theory of Probability" delved into mathematics, and continued his anti-Kantian theories (Benedictus 2013) .Benedictus, Fedde, and Dennis Dieks. “Reichenbach's Transcendental Probability.” Utrecht University, 2013AD. -
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Reichenbach in the U.S.A.
Reichenbach eventually moved to the USA, where he reunited with many people who were forced out of Europe by the Nazis. Reichenbach taught at UCLA, where he continued to spread his view of knowledge without emotional hindrance. He died in 1953, in Los Angeles (Mauro)
Mauro Murzi. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, www.iep.utm.edu/reichenb/.