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The Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science was founded in 1953 by Professor Herbert Feigl and other philosophers at the University of Minnesota. Herbert Feigl became its first director. The Center became the leading (and perhaps only) such institution in the world. Although other such centers were later established (at the Universities of Pittsburgh, Virginia at Blacksburg, Chicago, etc.), the Minnesota Center remains among the most distinguished. The Center's members, fellows, and visitors have included most of the leading philosophers of science in the international community of scholars, and the volumes in its series Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science have from the beginning been essential components of the libraries of philosophers of science. The purpose of the Center is to encourage and fund original research primarily in the philosophy of science, logic, and methodology of science by its Members, Fellows, and collaborators, and to publish some of the results of such research in its series, Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science.

Directors of the Center

Herbert Feigl 1953-1971

Grover Maxwell    1971-1981

Philip Kitcher 1981-1986

Ronald Giere  1987-1996

C Kenneth Waters  1996-present

Members of the Center are drawn from the Department of Philosophy and the Program in History of Science and Technology at the University of Minnesota. Residents Fellows from other University of Minnesota departments and from nearby universities and colleges are an important and vibrant part of the activities of the Center which include discussion groups on various topics, and weekly colloquium series where visiting academics present their work to an average of over 50 faculty and students.

The Center regularly hosts visiting fellows for varying periods of time, ranging from a few weeks to an entire year. The intellectual life of the Center is greatly enriched by visitors from around the globe who bring fresh perspectives and questions, often reflecting their experience in a diversity of fields and schools of thought. Visiting fellows are welcomed and encouraged to participate in Center activities including the discussion groups, weekly colloquium lectures, and special events.

Visitors often partake in graduate seminar courses, including courses taught by faculty in the Philosophy Department, Program of History of Science Technology, and Medicine, and other departments and programs. The University of Minnesota has a number of strengths in the sciences and in areas relevant to science and technology studies. Center fellows are encouraged to explore the activities of research groups throughout the University.