Princeton University philosopher Bas van Fraassen, who is considered one of the world's foremost contributors to philosophical logic and the philosophy of science, will deliver the Dwight H. Terry Lectures at Yale this fall.
The four-part series of talks, collectively called "The Empirical Stance," will take place during the month of October in the auditorium of Luce Hall, 34 Hillhouse Ave. A reception will follow each lecture. All events are free and open to the public.
Van Fraassen is known for strongly empiricist arguments against certain influential forms of scientific realism. In the Terry Lectures, he will seek to view religion, science and the philosophical enterprise from an empiricist point of view, arguing that empiricists should see philosophy not as metaphysical knowledge but as an existential stance.
"In these lectures I will present my very personal response to philosophy as I found it in our century, interpret to us what it is, and be very frankly partisan about what it could and can be," van Fraasen said of his upcoming talks. "In every century, again we must interpret ourselves to ourselves ... Now, what we find always includes both science and religion, the secular and the spiritual -- and what we transform in our reinterpretation includes the contrasts and boundaries between the two."
The philosopher's first talk, titled "Against Analytic Metaphysics," will be on Tuesday, Oct. 19. On Thursday, Oct. 21, he will speak on "Empiricism as Will and Idea." His third talk, on Tuesday, Oct. 26, will explore the topic "Scientific Revolution/Conversion as Philosophical Problem." His final lecture, "What is Science and What Is It to be Secular?" will be held on Thursday, Oct. 28.
Born in the Netherlands in 1941, van Fraassen emigrated to Canada with his family in 1956. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Alberta and received a master's degree and doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh.
Among van Fraassen's books are "An Introduction to the Philosophy of Time and Space," "Formal Semantics and Logic," "The Scientific Image," "Laws and Symmetry" and "Quantum Mechanics: An Empiricist View." He is the editor of the Journal of Philosophical Logic and coeditor of the Journal for Symbolic Logic.
The Dwight Terry Lectures were established in 1905 by a gift from Dwight Harrington Terry of Bridgeport, Connecticut, to endow a series of lectures on religion and its application to human welfare in the light of scientific knowledge and philosophical insights. The lectures are published in book form by the Yale University Press. Previous Terry Lecturers have included John Dewey, Carl Jung, Margaret Mead, Erich Fromm, Paul Tillich and Rebecca West.
T H I S
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
The Yale Endowment reaches $7.2 billion
'Yale Nursing Matters' magazine debuts at YSN
Yale's Year 2000 Project is preparing campus for the new millennium
As population grows to 6 billion, Yale expert warns of future scarcity
Alumnus actor says of his craft, 'You have to be a sponge'
Yale completes self-study as part of reaccreditation process
Award-winning journalist Roger Simon to visit as Poynter Fellow
Scholar will offer 'personal response to philosophy' in Terry Lectures
Scientists unraveling building blocks of memory
Exhibit features 'treasures' from the Lewis Walpole Library
Symposium pays tribute to noted Brazilian writer Haroldo de Campos
Sneak previews now part of the cinematic fare at Yale Film Society
Seminars examine genocides by Nazis and Cambodians
Yale Concert Band's first show of the season features film scores
Historian is next speaker in book review series
. . . In the News . . .
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|
Calendar of Events|Bulletin Board
Classified Ads|Search Archives|Production Schedule|Bulletin Staff
Public Affairs Home|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page
