science

Gustav Bergmann

Gustav Bergmann is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Gustav Bergmann rather than just read about it. In short: Gustav Bergmann (Austrian German: [ˈbɛrɡman]; May 4, 1906 – April 21, 1987) was an Austrian-American philosopher. He studied at the University of Vienna and was a member of the Vienna Circle.

Key takeaways

Gustav Bergmann belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Gustav Bergmann to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Gustav Bergmann from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Gustav Bergmann (Austrian German: [ˈbɛrɡman]; May 4, 1906 – April 21, 1987) was an Austrian-American philosopher. He studied at the University of Vienna and was a member of the Vienna Circle. Bergmann was influenced by the philosophers Moritz Schlick, Friedrich Waismann, and Rudolf Carnap, who were members of the Circle. In the United States, he was a professor of philosophy and psychology at the University of Iowa.

Biography Bergmann was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. He earned his Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Vienna in 1928. His dissertation, directed by Walther Mayer, was titled Zwei Beiträge zur mehrdimensionalen Differentialgeometrie. While studying for his doctorate, he was invited to join the Vienna Circle, a group of philosophers, mathematicians, scientists, and others committed to a scientific worldview under the name of logical positivism. In 1930–31, he worked with Albert Einstein in Berlin. Unable as a Jew to find academic employment, Bergmann obtained a J.D. degree from the University of Vienna in 1935, and practiced corporate law until he and his family fled to the United States in 1938. Settling at the University of Iowa in Iowa City in 1939, Bergmann eventually became professor of both philosophy and psychology. He died in Iowa City.

Bibliography The Metaphysics of Logical Positivism. New York: Longmans, Green & Co. 1954. (Second edition: Madison, University of Wisconsin Press, 1967.) Philosophy of Science. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press 1957. Meaning and Existence. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press 1959. Logic and Reality. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press 1964. Realism: A Critique of Brentano and Meinong. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press 1967. New Foundations of Ontology. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press 1992. Edited by William Heald. Collected Works. Vol I. II. Frankfurt am Main: Ontos Verlag 2003.

See also American philosophy List of American philosophers

References

References Ontology and Analysis: Essays and Recollections about Gustav Bergmann, edited by Laird Addis, Greg Jesson, and Erwin Tegtmeier, Frankfurt: Ontos Verlag, 2007. Fostering the Ontological Turn: Gustav Bergmann (1906–1987), edited by Rosaria Egidi and Guido Bonino, Frankfurt: Ontos Verlag, 2008. Gustav Bergmann: Phenomenological Realism and Dialectical Ontology, edited by Bruno Langlet and Jean-Maurice Monnoyer, Frankfurt: Ontos Verlag, 2009. The Ontological Turn: Studies in the Philosophy of Gustav Bergmann, edited by Moltke Gram and Elmer Klemke, Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1974. The Positivist and the Ontologist: Bergmann, Carnap, and Logical Realism, by Herbert Hochberg, Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2001.

External links Bergmann archives Bergmann pictures, biography, bibliography Heald on Bergmann Hochberg on Bergmann Theory and History of Ontology on Bergmann Philosophy Pages on Bergmann

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gustav Bergmann

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gustav Bergmann claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Gustav Bergmann before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Gustav Bergmann ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Gustav Bergmann

In research: Gustav Bergmann appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Gustav Bergmann in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Gustav Bergmann is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1906 births, 1987 deaths, 20th-century American lawyers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gustav Bergmann outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Gustav Bergmann in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Gustav Bergmann means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Gustav Bergmann out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gustav Bergmann in simple terms?

Gustav Bergmann (Austrian German: [ˈbɛrɡman]; May 4, 1906 – April 21, 1987) was an Austrian-American philosopher. He studied at the University of Vienna and was a member of the Vienna Circle.

Why does Gustav Bergmann matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Gustav Bergmann?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Gustav Bergmann.