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Philosophy With a Human Face
Vienna in the 1920s was an extraordinary centre of intellectual activity. From amidst a social milieu of artists, philosophers, and scientists, the Vienna Circle -- a group of roughly a dozen academics from a range of disciplines -- coalesced around, among others, Moritz Schlick, Otto Neurath, Friedrich Waismann, Heinrich Neider, Herbert Feigl, and Karl Menger. Others, like Karl Popper and Kurt Gödel, were moving in the periphery of the Circle, and through its common goal of (in the words of historian Karl Sigmund) "forging a great unification of human knowledge", it 'radiated outwards', ultimately leading to the dominance of logical positivism across much of English-language philosophy in the mid-20th century. The English edition of Sigmund's book, 'Exact Thinking in Demented Times' (Basic Books 2017), is the first 'picture book' of the Vienna Circle, telling the various interconnected life stories of its main representatives. While not always fully accurate in portraying the philosophical views of the Circle, when understood as a 'family saga' about the very human lives of a group of innovative and socially engaged philosophers -- writes our reviewer Adam Tamas Tuboly -- the book is well worth buying.
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Writer Wolfgang Herrndorf committed suicide in the summer of 2013, at age 48. He was best known for his bestselling novel "Tschick", which garnered Herrndorf many literary accolades, even as he was diagnosed with a brain tumour shortly before its publication. Herrndorf documented his thoughts and the final years of his life in a blog, which has now been published as a book entitled "Arbeit und Struktur" ("Work and Structure", Rowohlt, Berlin 2013). The title is derived from a comment by one of many doctors (Herrndorf, in his diary, resorts to referring them by numbers), who had recommended "work and structure" as a way of confronting fear and despair. Yet, as reviewer Frank Berzbach observes, no matter how depressing the diary’s entries are getting, at no point does Herrndorf allow his suffering to wrest control of his life from him: "This, indeed, is a reason to read his book: so as to maintain the upper hand, come what may. So as not to be driven to madness, or to escapism."
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The Berlin Review of Books aims to publish high-quality reviews of, and insightful essays based on, important recent books published in any language, with a focus on non-fiction. While it will often approach contemporary debates from a European perspective, it is open to intelligent contributions from around the globe. Our goal is to promote honest and knowledgeable debate of issues of real significance; for this reason, we are committed to financial and editorial independence. The Berlin Review of Books does not normally publish fiction or poetry, except by invitation.
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