Review of History of Philosophy of Science Books

Take the Advice, not Just the Medicine Paul A. Offit, M.D.,  Bad Advice: Or Why Celebrities, Politicians, and Activists Aren’t Your Best Source of Health Information . New York: Columbia University Press, 2018,  xiv  + 251 pages.  $16.95 Paperback  ISBN 9780231186988 Science popularization and the health sciences have two interesting components from the viewpoint of the history of philosophy of science: science popularization and the health sciences. Let’s take them in order.             Popular science or science popularization has a long tradition in the English-speaking world; nonetheless, it didn’t get much attention from professional philosophers of science, or even from historians (of philosophy of science). From one aspect, this might be wholly understandable—popular works do not have much influence on academic debates and professional and institutional philosophical trends and arguments; as the name suggests, it is popular, directed towards non-professionals.  

On the Streets of Prague: Frank, Carnap and the Forms of Positivism Radek Schuster (ed.),  The Vienna Circle in Czechoslovakia.  Vienna Circle Institute Yearbook, Volume 23., Cham: Springer, 2020. xii-204 pp. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-36383-3; Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-36382-6. When one is considering how analytic philosophy became an international movement, the Vienna Circle has a very special place in the story. Although Bertrand Russell’s works were translated into many languages quite early, and he traveled a lot and he was read in almost every country of Europe (not speaking of the United States and Asia), the Vienna Circle shows even more signs of internationality.             Members of the Vienna Circle around Moritz Schlick came mainly from Mid- and Eastern Europe (Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary), but the Circle had regular and returning visitors from abroad: from the United States, England, Finland, Sweden, Poland, and China. Also, members of the Circle