This is the first appearance in English translation (and the first appearance anywhere since a now-hard-to-find 1939 Turkish publication) of Reichenbach’s popular lecture “The Problem of Laws of Nature.” In his lecture, Reichenbach deftly carries his audience through a vast array of interrelated topics concerning probability, natural law, determinism, statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, fate, explanation, the justification of induction, and the scientist as wagerer. A brief commentary situating the lecture in a broader historical and philosophical context is provided. The translation (...) aims to convey Reichenbach’s own voice, which is by turns serious, playful, ironic, admonitory and inspirational. (shrink)

In this paper I investigate how intellectual problems concerning an epistemology of history and a historical view of knowledge played a role in the network of logical empiricist philosophers between 1930 and 1945. Specifically, I focus on the practical efforts of Hans Reichenbach and Otto Neurath to incorporate these intellectual stakes concerning history. I argue that Reichenbach was mainly concerned with creating more institutional space for scientific philosophy. Consequently, he was interested in determining his relation to historically oriented philosophy on (...) the practical level only. Otto Neurath, I claim, was interested in promoting an intellectual incorporation of an epistemology of history and a historical view of knowledge into the Unity of Science movement. His attempts, however, largely failed. I conclude that the intellectual stakes concerning history did have an effect within the network of logical empiricist philosophers, but that, by 1945 these stakes were entirely dissolved. The displacement of the network to the United States removed Reichenbach’s practical problems, while Neurath was unable to persuade enough actors before his death. (shrink)