Abstract

This article compares the transformation of two distinct strands of twentieth century philosophy under two politically repressive regimes. It begins by presenting the suppression of the Lvov-Warsaw School by the Soviet regime. Then, it turns to the persecution of logical empiricists in the US during the McCarthy era. While Stalinist repression forced the philosophers into ideological conformity, McCarthyite pressures contributed to the depoliticisation of philosophy of science. In both cases, political repression distorted scientific priorities. It is argued that cases like these represent extreme forms of the central case of ‘epistemic intimidation’.