While most people today know about the influence of London, Paris, and New York on modern thought, Vienna makes few appearances in people’s discussions. However, Vienna, and such individuals as Sigmund Freud and Robert Musil, had a profound impact on modern thinking. The intellectual scene in Vienna, the capital of the Habsburg Empire in Central Europe, in the later part of the 19th century and the earlier half of the 20th century was influenced by the acceptance of modern sciences and the reception of philosophical irrationalism.