Alfred Schütz and the Viennese Circles: Towards the communicative arrangement of incompatible knowledge

Project: Research funding

Project Details

Abstract

At the turn of the 20th century Vienna was one of the most vibrant intellectual centers, although intellectuals and scholars had to deal with unique structural problems, the most important of which are the dense concentration of scientists caused by the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy, the growing political tension between conservative and liberal wings, and the systematic academic marginalization of Jewish intellectuals as well as women at the University of Vienna. Discussion circles that flourished outside or at the margins of the University, e.g. the world-famous “Vienna circle”, grew significantly in importance. A historically unique thought style was what distinguished these circles: Contradictory terms, methods and theories that were unusual or even displaced within academia could get into contact and were related in different or even unorthodox ways.

Making him a prototypic figure of that time, Alfred Schütz participated actively in Ludwig von Mises’ “private seminar” and also attended the “Geistkreis” founded by Herbert Furth and Friedrich August von Hayek as well as the “private seminar” of Hans Kelsen. Written in 1932, his book “Der sinnhafte Aufbau der sozialen Welt” testifies the specific thought style within the above-mentioned circles. It provided a theoretical argumentation that combined philosophical and social sciences positions that were deemed to be incompatible by then.

Using the example of Schütz, the research project focuses on the specific cultures of knowledge production to be found within the circles, especially the way contradictory scientific positions were handled against the background of a significant professional and theoretical heterogeneity. In order to conceptualize these complicated networks of persons and ideas, the circles will be analyzed and further developed as Communicative Knowledge Cultures. Such a systematic cultural approach is undertaken for the first time. Personal testimonials of the circle-members and -observers as well as archive material which provides evidence to the circles serve as main data sources in order to shed light on the focus under question.
Short titleAlfred Schütz and the Viennese Circles
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date1/04/1731/08/19