Karl Sigmund is a professor of mathematics at the University of Vienna. One of the pioneers of evolutionary game theory, he lives in Vienna.
"Exact Thinking in Demented Times is filled with vivid and
fascinating stories of intellectual genius flourishing in the midst
of political chaos. Karl Sigmund succeeds in bringing the amazing
individuals of the Vienna Circle to life. Highly
recommended!"---Ian Stewart, author of Significant Figures
"[Sigmund's] history is decades in the making and well worth the
wait for anyone interested in the development of Western
philosophy."--MAA Reviews
"A brisk and engaging account of the volatile mix of characters
that came together to form the Vienna Circle: their fierce
intellectual battles over its main doctrines, their foibles and
eccentricities, their 'collective eroticism, ' and their
humiliations (mainly by Wittgenstein) and occasional mental
breakdowns... Gives a vivid picture of the 'demented times' in
which they attempted to carry out their 'exact thinking, '
chronicling how Vienna between the wars... descended from cultural
vitality into Nazi barbarism."--New York Review of Books
"A gripping, yet cautionary history... Ultimately, Exact Thinking
in Demented Times... constitutes a salient reminder of the ongoing
need for collective rationality in times of ethical and
methodological crisis."--Nature
"A passionate and subtly humorous account."--Scientific
American
"A valuable book...the translation (by Mr. Sigmund himself) is
almost flawless."--Wall Street Journal
"Delightful... [Sigmund] has produced a stimulating account of the
Circle, not only stating with clarity its ideas but also giving
colorful portraits of and personal stories about its
members."--Washington Post
"Encapsulating an effervescent period, Sigmund's work will excite
readers interested in the history of modern philosophy and
science"--Booklist
"Karl Sigmund's fond and knowledgeable exploration of the ideas and
members of the legendary Vienna circle between the two
wars...contains stark warnings not only about demented times, but
also about the possible costs of exact thinking."--Economist
"Karl Sigmund's rich account of the Vienna Circle teems with
insights into the thinking its leading lights, which included some
of the most important philosophers and scientists of the 1920s and
30s. A superb book, so replete with inter-disciplinary delights
that it will make its readers feel like polymaths."---Graham
Farmelo, Fellow at Churchill College at the University of Cambridge
and author of The Strangest Man
"Sigmund follows the Vienna Circle...through one of the most
turbulent times in the history of central Europe."--Nature
Physics
"Sigmund...breathes new life and energy into this important time
period. In this extremely readable and accessible volume, Sigmund's
familiarity with the Vienna Circle makes for fascinating
observations about the people who made this part of science history
possible."--Library Journal
"Sigmund...makes excellent use of the archival material available
in Vienna.... He has a particular talent for explaining the
ideas--in physics, mathematics, and philosophy--very clearly."--New
Criterion
"Sigmund's book will long stand as the most engaging and accessible
history of that remarkable movement...This is history--serious and
first-rate history--written like a novel...A masterpiece."--Physics
Today
"The turn of the 20th century begat a significant rethinking in
philosophy... The author, one of the pioneers of evolutionary game
theory, traces these ideas through the members of the Vienna
Circle, from informal pre-World War I gatherings through the
group's formal inception in 1924 to its dissolution following
Hitler's annexation of Austria...Many readers will agree that we
are currently living in 'demented times, ' and Sigmund adeptly lays
out a history that has great relevance for today."--Kirkus (starred
review)
"There is no doubt that the Vienna Circle was an assemblage of some
of the most impressive human beings who have ever walked the
planet, and Karl Sigmund's book tells its story, and their stories,
in a gripping and eloquent fashion."---Douglas Hofstadter, from the
Preface
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