Carl G. Hempel (1905–1997)
Author of Philosophy of Natural Science
About the Author
Carl Gustav Hempel's work is essential for understanding the positivist philosophy of science. His interpretation of scientific explanation and his "paradoxes of confirmation" have stimulated discussion for decades. Born in Oranienburg, Germany, Hempel has been a U.S. citizen since 1944. Like many show more other philosophers of science, he studied physics and mathematics at the Universities of Gottingen and Heidelberg. In Berlin he was a student of Hans Reichenbach and participated in the Society for Scientific Philosophy, the sister group of the Vienna Circle of Logical Positivists. Hempel left Germany for Brussels in 1934 and then went to the United States in 1937, where he held positions at the University of Chicago, the City College of New York, Queens College, and Yale University. Hempel became professor of philosophy at Princeton University in 1955 and held the title of Stuart Professor from 1956 until he retired in 1973. The University of Pittsburgh appointed him professor of philosophy in 1977. Hempel writes in a scientific style: clear, matter of fact, free of personal idiosyncrasies. The reader always has a sense of the goals, problems, and permissible means of solving the problems. In effect, Hempel invites the reader to join him in research. Many philosophers of science have accepted his invitation. In conjunction with Paul Oppenheim, Hempel proposed the most influential model of scientific explanation: that events are explained by deducing their descriptions from universal scientific laws and "antecedent conditions." Ever since, sociologists, political scientists, and historians have agonized over the question of whether their disciplines can possess such explanations. In 1945 Hempel published "Studies in the Logic of Confirmation." Confirmation is the support that evidence confers on a scientific theory. Hempel's investigation uncovered fundamental difficulties, even paradoxes. In 1965 Hempel published a collection entitled Aspects of Scientific Explanation, which is the best summary of his thoughts on confirmation and scientific explanation. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by Carl G. Hempel
Aspects of Scientific Explanation: And Other Essays in the Philosophy of Science (1965) 142 copies, 1 review
The Philosophy of Carl G. Hempel: Studies in Science, Explanation, and Rationality (2001) 30 copies, 1 review
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Hempel, Carl Gustav
- Birthdate
- 1905-01-08
- Date of death
- 1997-11-09
- Gender
- male
- Awards and honors
- President, American Philosophical Association Eastern Division (1961-1962)
- Nationality
- Germany
- Associated Place (for map)
- Germany
Members
Reviews
Very clear and interesting read about how to make an argument with deductive logic or deductive nomology. The examples are great, and it's so amazing to think about the scientists who lived long ago, and how their thinking has contributed to making the world what it is today. I need this for my philosophy essay, however, I now also know that I should read something scientific in order to make a better essay. I wish I could just go with what I have in my head, but frankly, I don't think show more that'll be enough. show less
More valuable as a review of mainstream empirical realism than as an actual treatise.
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- 18
- Also by
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- Rating
- 3.9
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