Planning According to the 'Scientific Conception of the World

The Work of Otto Neurath

Bibliographic Data

ID4475832
AuthorsAndreas Faludi (0000-0002-5956-1780, corresponding author)
Year1989
Volume7
Issue4
Pages397-418
Publication date1989-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEnvironment and Planning D Society and Space (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0263-7758 • E-ISSN: 1472-3433
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1068/d070397
OpenAlexW2084774062
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited14

Neurath, a prominent member of the Vienna Circle, was involved in much practical reform work. He was also a member of CIAM, and participated in the famous Athens meeting where its basic principles were formulated. But his plans for intensive cooperation with CIAM did not come to fruition, because of fundamental differences regarding the role of scientific evidence in decisionmaking and planning. CIAM members were looking for a solid bedrock on which to base design norms and principles. Neurath was a sceptic and emphasised the pluralistic nature of knowledge. He also held that decisions were to be taken on pragmatic grounds, reflecting one's chosen "path of life". Experts had no superior skill in this. Neurath developed the Vienna Method of pictorial statistics to allow people to make their own inferences from such evidence as there was. Neurath's views of decisionmaking in planning are very modern, and suggest that the critique of positivism in planning needs to be reconsidered

Epistemology · Positivism · Skepticism · Sociology · Work (physics · Engineering · Philosophy · Philosophy, Science, and History

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