Exact Thinking in Demented Times: The Vienna Circle and
the Epic Quest for the Foundations of Science, Karl Sigmund (3.0)
I read a review for this book that criticized how the
writing focused social aspects (i.e. who doesn’t agree with or get along with
whom) and lauded when it focused on each scientist’s theories. Maybe because it
is written by a professor who walked the same hallways as the famous thinkers
of early 20th century Vienna, people expected more about the theory.
Oddly I enjoyed the biographic parts of the book much more than the drier
explanations. That said, I am surprised that this book gets such strong reviews
overall. While the times and people highlighted are interesting, the writing
was quite hard to follow. Mr. Sigmund did not follow a logical timeline – so when
we got close to an interesting time, such as WWII, he would jump to another
time with different characters. I will admit, I was familiar with only 30-50%
of the scientists, so a timeline would have helped me follow who was part of
which ‘circle’ – yes, there are more than one. The book did make clear the
amazing number of great scientists who knew and worked together in Vienna prior
to WWII. Given the descriptions and obvious love the author has for Vienna, I
wish I had read this book before we visited a few years ago!
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