About Edgar Zilsel
Edgar Zilsel (German: [ˈtsɪlzəl]; August 11, 1891, Vienna, Austria-Hungary – March 11, 1944, Oakland, California) was an Austrian-American historian and philosopher of science. He is best known for the Zilsel Thesis, a scientific proposal which traces the origins of western science to the interactions between scholars and skilled artisans. The proposal melded practical experimentation with analytical thought. As part of the left wing of the Vienna Circle (a group of early twentieth-century philosophers) he endorsed historical materialism, and sought to establish empirical laws in history and in society. Zilsel was Jewish, and followed a Marxist political view, both of which rendered him unable to pursue an academic career in Austria. Fleeing persecution, he escaped to the United States where he received a Rockefeller Fellowship Membership. During this time, he published many papers, such as the "Sociological Roots of Modern Science". In 1943, he was invited to teach physics at Mills College in California. Edgar Zilsel died on March 11, 1944, from suicide. Zilsel managed to escape from Austria after the Anschluss, first to England and in 1939 to the United States where he received a Rockefeller Fellowship enabling him to devote time to research.
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