World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Philip Stuart Kitcher

フィリップ・スチュアート・キッチャー

Philip Stuart Kitcher

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1947-02-20 （London, England）
Nationality
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Residence History
Eastbourne, East Sussex → London, England → New York, USA (Columbia University)

Career

Occupations
philosopher, professor, author, academic
Active Years
1974-
Affiliations
Columbia University, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), University of Minnesota, University of Vermont, Vassar College
Memberships
American Philosophical Society, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Association (past president)
Influenced By
Paul Benacerraf, Thomas Kuhn, Carl G. Hempel, John Dewey, W. V. Quine, Patricia Kitcher
Influenced
Peter Godfrey-Smith, Patricia Kitcher, Kyle Stanford, C. Kenneth Waters, Michael Weisberg

Education

Christ's College, Cambridge
Mathematics / History and Philosophy of Science (BA)
Degree: BA
Period: 1966-1969
Year of Graduation: 1969
Country: United Kingdom
Studied mathematics and history & philosophy of science
Princeton University
History and Philosophy of Science (PhD)
Degree: PhD
Period: 1970-1974
Year of Graduation: 1974
Country: United States
Doctoral thesis 'Mathematics and Certainty'. Doctoral advisor: Carl Hempel.

Awards

Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2002
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result: 選出
Prometheus Prize (inaugural)
2006
Organization: American Philosophical Association
Result: 受賞
Elected to the American Philosophical Society
2018
Organization: American Philosophical Society
Result: 選出
Lakatos Award
Organization: Lakatos Award (awarding body)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Abusing Science: The Case Against Creationism

1982 philosophy of science / critique

Critiques the misuse of creationism as a scientific claim and defends proper science education and public reasoning.

science and religioneducationscientific misconceptions

The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge

1983 philosophy of mathematics

Examines the character of mathematical knowledge and issues of certainty in mathematics.

philosophy of mathematicscertainty

Science, Truth, and Democracy

2001 philosophy of science / social philosophy

Explores the relation between scientific knowledge and democratic values, discussing the role of values in science policy and the public sphere.

science policyvalues in sciencedemocracy

The Ethical Project

2011 ethics / naturalistic ethics

Argues for a naturalistic account of the origins and development of ethics and moral progress.

naturalistic ethicsmoral progress

Preludes to Pragmatism: Toward a Reconstruction of Philosophy

2012 philosophy / pragmatism

Develops an interest in John Dewey and proposes reconstructing philosophical issues through pragmatism.

pragmatismDewey studies

Bibliography

  • Abusing Science: The Case Against Creationism (1982)
  • The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge (1983)
  • Vaulting Ambition: Sociobiology and the Quest for Human Nature (1985)
  • The Advancement of Science (1993)
  • The Lives to Come: The Genetic Revolution and Human Possibilities (1996)
  • Science, Truth, and Democracy (2001)
  • In Mendel's Mirror (2003)
  • Finding an Ending (2004)
  • Living with Darwin (2007)
  • Joyce's Kaleidoscope: An Invitation to Finnegans Wake (2007)
  • The Ethical Project (2011)
  • Science in a Democratic Society (2011)
  • Preludes to Pragmatism (2012)
  • Deaths in Venice: The Cases of Gustav von Aschenbach (2013)
  • Life After Faith: The Case for Secular Humanism (2014)
  • Moral Progress (2021)
  • The Main Enterprise of the World: Rethinking Education (2022)
  • What's the Use of Philosophy? (2023)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
analyticclear argumentative prosepragmatist reconstruction
Recurring Motifs
public role of science and democracynaturalismmoral progressphilosophical issues in biology and mathematics

Legacy

Known for significant contributions to philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, and philosophy of mathematics; advocated for the public role of science and a naturalistic account of ethics. Influential in debates on education and science policy.

Academic Societies

  • American Philosophical Society
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • American Philosophical Association

Archives

  • Columbia University archives (related holdings)

Quotes

  • Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions has probably been more widely read—and more widely misinterpreted—than any other book in recent philosophy of science. Creationists have adopted a caricature of Kuhn to claim their views are unfairly disregarded.
    Source: Abusing Science: The Case Against Creationism (1982)

Trivia

  • Married to philosopher Patricia Kitcher in 1971.
  • His son Charles Kitcher has served as Associate General Counsel for the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
  • Served as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Philosophy of Science from 1994 to 1999.
  • Has served as president of the American Philosophical Association.
  • Has worked on philosophical aspects of climate change.