Otto Neurath's reception: Manuel Sacristán, Francisco Fernández Buey and the science of sustainability

Abstract

The need to address the climate emergency and the global ecological crisis of our time has led to the deployment of transdisciplinary approaches to Sustainability Science that, consciously or unconsciously, entail a certain embodiment of Neurath's unified science program. Beyond the scope of academic philosophy, Neurath is very relevant in the field of  ecological economics. However, those novel hybrid disciplines have poorly developed their own philosophical-methodological foundations. This text tries to link those new multidisciplinary science insights with the common-sense logics that Manuel Sacristan wished to develop, or the notion of third culture that interested Francisco Fernandez Buey so much. Two main questions arise: Why did Manuel Sacristan speak and write as little on Neurath being so familiar with his work and so close to his point of view? Why despite being present in relevant parts of his work, Francisco Fernández Buey did not establish a more explicit connection with Neurath's work and his own philosophical program?