Edgar Zilsel (August 11, 1891, Vienna, Austria-Hungary – March 11, 1944, Oakland, California) was an Austrian-American historian and a philosopher of science. He is known for his Zilsel Thesis, a scientific proposal which traces the origins of western science to the interactions between scholars and skilled artisans, which melded practical experimentation with analytical thought. Being 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.