LogiCS | About Vienna

St. Stephen’s Cathedral (photo by Miroslav Petrasko)

TU Vienna

TU Vienna has a city campus which occupies a large number of buildings in the historic center of Vienna. Located at Karlsplatz, a main hub for public transport in the city, it is surrounded by cultural hot-spots such as Vienna State Opera, Secession, Musikverein, Kunsthalle and many more. The adjacent museum quarter, the artsy Freihaus Viertel with many cafes and galleries, and the vast grocery market Naschmarkt with large variety of international food add to the location’s attractiveness.

Logic in Vienna

Logic in Vienna has a long tradition which traces back to medieval times: the first rector of the University of Vienna (and paramount in the founding of the university) was the well-known scholastic logician Albert of Saxony. Also, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who was very influential for the development of modern abstract logic and a visionary towards the idea of automated deduction (“Calculemus!”), spent several years in Vienna. And, of course, the development of modern logic in the early years of the twentieth century was highly influenced by people who were either born in Vienna or worked there at that time in Vienna; these include Ludwig Wittgenstein, Kurt Gödel, and Rudolf Carnap. In fact, the role of logic in science was highlighted by the so-called Vienna Circle, which was an association of philosophers, mathematicians, and other scientists (to which Carnap belonged), promoting the idea of logical positivism. Also, the Vienna born philosopher Sir Karl Popper is well known for his contributions to the theory of science, in which logic plays a crucial role. Today, Vienna is again an internationally leading center of research in logic.