POLİTİK BİLİM FELSEFESİ TARTIŞMALARINA OTTO NEURATH’IN KATKISI

Mantıkçı amprisistlere göre metafizik, muhafazakarlık, faşizm gibi siyasi ideolojilerin güçlenmesinde en önemli faktörlerden birisidir. Viyana Çevresi’nin bu iddiaları belki de en açık biçimde Otto Neurath’ın hayatı ve çalışmalarında görünür olmaktadır. Neurath’a göre metafizik, sosyal ve politik bağlamlarda ele alınmalıdır. Neurath, bu nedenle metafizikten arındırılmış, rasyonelleştirilmiş bir toplum modelini, Viyana Çevresi'nin “Manifestosunun” (Wissenschaftliche Weltauffassung / Der Wiener Kreis) odağına yerleştirir. Ona göre Viyana Çevresi temel olarak bu doğrultuda ilerlemelidir. Marksist bir eğilime de sahip olan Neurath'a göre metafizik, sosyal ve politik alanda muhafazakarlığın yerleşmesini ve yeniden üretilmesinin kaynağıdır. Son dönemlerde bilim felsefesi tarihi çalışmaları kapsamında özellikle “sol Viyana Çevresi”’nin eğilimleri incelenirken Neurath’ın hayatı ve ekonomi, eğitimcilik gibi çeşitli alanlarda kendisini gösteren politik pozisyonu referans noktası olarak ele alınmaktadır. Bu bağlamda öncelikle Viyana Çevresi’nin bilim tarihindeki yerini politik bağlamda ele alacağım. İkinci olarak Viyana Çevresi’nin önemli temsilcilerinden biri olan Neurath’ı ekonomi, felsefe ve eğitim ile ilgili iddia ve çalışmaları bağlamında Çevre içerisindeki özgün konumunu değerlendireceğim. Makalede ortaya normatif bir iddia koymaktan ziyade, betimsel bir yöntemle Neurath’ın eklektik bilim felsefesinin dünya meseleleri karşısında bir bilim felsefecisinin tavrının ne olabileceği ile ilgili bir olanak sunduğunu göstermeyi amaçlıyorum. Bu değerlendirmelerin günümüz bilim felsefesinin kendisini yeniden yapılandırması gerekliliği ile ilgili tartışmalara katkı sunmasını umuyorum.

OTTO NEURATH’S CONTRIBUTION TO DISCUSSIONS IN THE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

According to Logical Empricists metaphysics is an important factor in strenghtening political ideologies such as conservatism and fascism. Probably one of the best places to look for these claims is in Otto Neurath’s studies and life. According to him, metaphysics should be considered in the social and political contexts. This is the reason why Neurath put the model of rational society that is purified from metaphysics at the center of the “Manifesto” (The Scientific Conception of the World: The Vienna Circle, Wissenschaftliche Weltauffassung / Der Wiener Kreis). According to Neurath, the Vienna Circle should take this path. As he has Marxist tendencies, Neurath thinks that metaphysics is responsible for the stabilization and reproduction conservatism in social and political contexts. Today, studies focus on what is called the “left Vienna Circle” specifically take into consideration political position of Neurath. Accordingly, in the light of this background, in this paper I will evaluate Neurath’s own peculiar position within the Vienna Circle with respect to his studies on economics, philosophy and education. Thus, I do not argue for a normative claim, rather in a descriptive manner I aim to show a possible answer the question of what attitude could a philosopher of science adopt in the face problems we are facing the world today via Neurath’s understanding of eclectic philosophy of science. At the end, I hope these considerations would contribute to discussions as to how philosophy of science should reconstruct itself.

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