Draft:George Gale (philosopher of science)

George D. Gale (August 10, 1943 –– ) is an American historian and philosopher of science, who has worked in 17th Century physics, particularly Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, the subject of a book-length commentary, philosophy of modern cosmology, introducing anthropic principle cosmology and Many Worlds theory to the wider community. The latter work was featured by novelist John Updike in his book Roger’s Version, in which the antagonist, Dale, adopts philosophical positions described in Gale’s work on Leibniz and the Anthropic Principle. Working with the physicist John Urani, a series of papers re-writing the history of modern cosmology was published, demonstrating the central role played by the cosmologist A. E. Milne. One of their papers was chosen as an “Editor’s Choice: Paper of 1998-2001” in the American Journal of Physics. Following this, Gale turned his attention to the history and philosophy of agriculture, specifically viticulture—based upon his earlier experiences as a vineyard and winery owner, and wine columnist for the Kansas City Star. His turn to viticulture was natural, as he explained: “Philosophy is kind of abstract; I had to get into something sticky and gooey.” His book on the phylloxera disaster devastating vineyards worldwide was a finalist for several awards. He continues his work in viticultural research and consulting.

Biography
Gale attended Northern California’s La Sierra High School. Using a scholarship from Aerojet-General he attended Santa Clara University, graduating with a BA in Philosophy and a senior thesis “Finality in Teilhard’s Phenomenon of Man”. During his time at Santa Clara, Gale worked summers at Aerojet on the Minuteman missile program. In Fall 1965 Gale began MA studies at San Francisco State, and teaching and administering the lab students in the Woodrow Wilson High School’s Lux Laboratory Enrichment Program. He graduated in 1967 with a thesis “’Explanation’ in Emile Meyerson’s Identity and Reality’” directed by Russell Kahl.

At this time, Gale had been recruited to become the Executive Secretary and manager of the Ford Foundation project “Study Group on the Unity of Knowledge”, whose principal investigators were Michael Polanyi and Marjorie Grene. The project was housed at UC Davis where Gale would become a PhD student. For the next five years Gale would manage the affairs of the Study Group’s members including J. Brownoski, Charles Taylor, Bert Dreyfus, Alasdair MacIntyre, Robert Cohen, Marx Wartowsky, and others.

In 1970, Gale moved temporarily from Davis to Oxford to work on his dissertation with Rom Harré. In the end, it was Grene who had final say on Gale’s dissertation: “Leibniz: The Physicist as Philosopher”.

Following graduation, Gale went on active duty in the U.S. Army. He had gone through ROTC at Santa Clara, and been commissioned a 2LT in 1965. He did his active duty service at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. He was honorably discharged in 1973 as a Captain.

In Fall of 1971, Gale accepted appointment as assistant professor of physical science and philosophy at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, where he would remain for the next 43 years.

In 1979 he published Theory of Science: An Introduction to the History, Philosophy, and Logic of Science . The book was one of the first introductory texts to base its philosophical development in fully integrated, extensive historical examples. The book reached a wide audience: for example Robin Dunbar used it in a fairly typical manner in a scientific context, while automotive author L.J.K. Setright used Gale’s “Heretics v. Heroes” contrast to describe a controversy in automotive design. In 1981 Gale published in Scientific American the first article introducing the anthropic cosmological principle to the general public. The article was translated into seven languages and received extensive commentary and criticism.

In 1983 Gale was invited to the University of Pittsburgh Center for Philosophy of Science as a Fellow alongside Ron Giere, Tom Nickles, John Worrall and Jim Woodward.

In 1984 Gale was visiting professor in Oxford, teaching (with Rom Harré) the Physics and Philosophy seminar on space and time. In 1986 and 1988 he was visiting professor in Wuhan University, China, teaching graduate students in history and philosophy of science.

Also in 1988, Gale received a National Science Foundation grant to research the origins of big bang cosmology.

In 1994, following the leadership of Don Howard and Alan Richardson, Gale helped found HOPOS, the International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science, serving on the first two steering committees and originating internet support functions to the new group.

In 1996 Gale became the second Executive Secretary/CEO in the history of the Philosophy of Science Association. Gale’s brief was to secure financial independence and security for the organization, organize a business office in co-operation with the History of Science Society, oversee movement from self-publication of the society journal to publication by University of Chicago Press, and to organize JSTOR’s acquisition of the journal, including finding, collection and submission of the full run of the journal to JSTOR.

In 2011 Gale’s Dying on the Vine: How Phylloxera Transformed Wine was published by the University of California Press. The book was well received, with one reviewer proclaiming “Dying on the vine is now the classic book on the phylloxera.”  When the New York Times needed an expert to comment on the role of American vines during the disease plague among French vines, they consulted Gale.

In 2011 Gale was named James C. Olson Professor of Philosophy. He retired from UMKC as emeritus in 2014, and now shares life in Montréal, Québec, and Lake Champlain, NY with his second wife, Dr. Deborah Dysart-Gale.