Wolfgang Stegmüller

Wolfgang Stegmüller (born June 3, 1923, Natters, Austria – died June 11, 1991, Munich, Germany), was a German-Austrian Philosopher with important contributions in philosophy of science and in analytic philosophy.

Biography

W. Stegmüller studied economics and philosophy at the University of Innsbruck. In 1944 he graduated as "Diplom-Volkswirt" and one year later he obtained a PhD in economics. Also at the University of Innsbruck he obtained in 1947 a PhD in philosophy. In 1949 he habilitated with the thesis "Sein, Wahrheit und Wert in der heutigen Philosophie".

After a stay of one year at the University of Oxford in 1954 he returned to the University of Innsbruck where he was appointed as associate professor for philosophy in 1956. After stays as visiting professor at the Universities of Kiel and Bonn he received a call from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Here in 1958 he was appointed professor for philosophy, logic, and philosophy of sciences and became director of the "Seminar II". Except for two stays at as a visiting professor in 1962/63 and 1964 at the University of Pennsylvania he remained in Munich and ran there a center for analytical philosophy until his retirement in 1990. From 1977 to 1979 he also was dean of the faculty for philsophy, philosophy of science, ans statistics.

Stegmüller was from 1966 on a corresponding member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and from 1967 on a member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. 1972 he became a member of the french Institut International de Philosophie, located in Paris. He also was a member of the International Academy of Science founded in 1980. In 1989 W. Stegmüller was awarded a honorary doctorate from the University of Innsbruck. After his retirement he was elected as honorary president of the Gesellschaft für Analytische Philosophie (Society for Analytical Philosophy).

Selected publications

Hauptströmungen der Gegenwartsphilosophie, Bd I-IV, Kröner, 7. Auflage (1989), ISBN 3-520-30807-X
Unvollständigkeit und Unentscheidbarkeit, 1959
Das Wahrheitsproblem und die Idee der Semantik, 1957
Einheit und Problematik der wissenschaftlichen Welterkenntnis, 1967
Metaphysik-Skepsis-Wissenschaft,1969
Probleme und Resultate der Wissenschafttheorie und Analytischen Philosophie
- Band I, Erklärung-Begründung-Kausalität, 1983
- Band II, Theorie und Erfahrung, 1974
  - 1. Teilband: Theorie und Erfahrung, 1974
  - 2. Teilband: Theorienstrukturen und Theoriendynamik, 1985
  - 3. Teilband: Die Entwicklung des neuen Strukturalismus seit 1973, 1986
- Band III, Strukturtypen der Logik,1984
- Band IV, Personelle und statistische Wahrscheinlichkeit, 1973
  - 1. Halbband: Personelle Wahrscheinlichkeit und rationale Entscheidung, 1973
  - 2. Halbband: Statistisches Schließen - Statistische Begründung - Statistische Analyse, 1973
The Structuralists View of Theories, 1979
Das Problem der Induktion: Humes Herausforderung und moderne Antworten,
Philosophy of economics, 1982
Aufsätze zur Wissenschaftstheorie, 1980
Rationale Rekonstruktion von Wissenschaft und ihrem Wandel
Kripkes Deutung der Spätphilosophie Wittgensteins. Kommentarversuch über einen versuchten Kommentar. 1986

References and further reading

C.G. Hempel, H. Putnam, W.K. Essler: Methodology, Epistemology, and Philosophy of Science: Essays in Honour of Wolfgang Stegmüller on the Occasion of his 60th B irth day, June 3rd, 1983. Reprinted ... Journal Erkenntnis, Vol. 19, Nos 1,2 and 3. Springer Verlag (1983) ISBN: 9-02771-646-3
R. Kleinknech: Nachruf auf Wolfgang Stegmüller, Journal for General Philosophy of Science, Vol. 24, 1-16, (1993)