Hans Reichenbach developed logical empiricism through the philosophy of relativity, probability, causality, and scientific explanation while leading the Berlin Society for Empirical Philosophy.
Intellectual setting
Reichenbach organized Berlin’s logical-empiricist circle before Nazi persecution forced exile, after which he shaped philosophy of science in the United States.
Key ideas
Probability
Scientific inference requires an account of probability rather than a demand for conclusive verification.
Relativity and convention
His early philosophy of science used relativity to reassess Kantian a priori claims.
Legacy
Many later philosophers of science trace academic lineages to Reichenbach’s students and their students.