Gerhard Schurz

Gerhard Schurz (born January 21, 1956 in Graz ) is an Austrian philosopher .

Life

Gerhard Schurz studied chemistry / physics and philosophy / sociology at the University of Graz . He completed his chemistry / physics studies in 1980 with a master's degree. nat and his philosophy / sociology studies in 1983 with a doctorate phil. from. The subject of his dissertation was Scientific Explanation . Until his habilitation thesis in philosophy on the subject of Relevant Deduction in Science and Ethics in 1989, he was a university assistant at the philosophical institute of the University of Salzburg . He stayed at this institute as an assistant professor and associate professor until the beginning of 2000. In the meantime he was visiting professor at the University of California , Irvine (California) (1989–1990 and 1996), at Yale University (1999), and 2000–2001 professor for philosophy of science at the University of Erfurt . Since 2002 he has held the chair for theoretical philosophy at the University of Düsseldorf and was managing director at this institute from 2006–2009. Since 2011 he has been Director of the Düsseldorf Center for Logic and Philosophy of Science (DCLPS) and since 2016 President of the Society for the Philosophy of Science. In 2019, Gerhard Schurz was accepted as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (Philosophy of Science Section) and the Académie Internationale de Philosophie des Sciences (AIPS).

In 1998, Gerhard Schurz initiated the special research area “Theory and paradigm pluralism in the sciences” at the University of Salzburg, which he headed until 2000. The research projects and research groups led by Gerhard Schurz include:

• 2005–2011: DFG projects “Neuroframes” and “Frame-Theoretic Investigation of Scientific Theories” of the DFG research group “Functional Terms and Frames” at the University of Düsseldorf.
• 2008–2011: DFG project “Probability-Logic” of the EuroCores LogiCCC project “The Logic of Causal and Probabilistic Reasoning in Uncertain Environments”.
• 2010–2016: DFG project "Causality and Explanation" of the DFG research group FOR 106.
• 2011–2015: DFG project “Frame-Theoretical Investigation of Unification and Reduction” of the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center 991 at the University of Düsseldorf.
• 2011–2018: DFG project “The Role of Meta-Induction in Human Reasoning” as part of the DFG priority program SPP 1516.
• 2016–2019: DFG projects "Logic and Ontology of the Cognitive Representation of Theories" and "Frame Representation of Prototype Concepts and Prototype-based Reasoning" of the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center 991 at the University of Düsseldorf.
• Since 2017: DFG projects "Creative Abductive Inference and Its Role for Inductive Metaphysics" and "Statistical Causation, Intervention, and Freedom" of the DFG research group FOR 2495.

Young scientists who did their doctorate with Gerhard Schurz include Helmut Prendiger (University of Tokyo), Hannes Leitgeb (LMU Munich), Franz Huber (Univ. Of Toronto), Markus Werning (Univ. Bochum), Eckhart Arnold (Bavarian Academy of Sciences) , Matthias Unterhuber (University of Bochum), Alexander Gebharter (University of Groningen), Paul Thorn, Christian Feldbacher, Corina Strößner, Alexander Christian, Karim Baraghith, David Hommen.

Schurz is an active member of numerous scientific associations and editorial board member of several international journals, u. a. Knowledge (since 1999), Graz Philosophical Studies (since 1999), Synthesis (1999–2008, 2013–), Studia Logica (1998–2003), Journal for General Philosophy of Science (since 2010), Episteme (since 2010).

research

Schurz's research is primarily concerned with the fields of theoretical philosophy; Contributions to metaethics have also resulted from the study of David Hume .

Logical closing

Gerhard Schurz has developed systems of relevant logical reasoning in which attempts are made to find a solution to paradoxes of the formal - analytical philosophy . In other works he proves (among other things) the non-axiomatizability of maximally general predicate logic truths, the completeness of multimodal logic systems , as well as the completeness and efficiency of systems of probability logic . In addition, there are studies on the incompatibility of qualitative and quantitative knowledge representations as well as experimental research on human reasoning .

Philosophy of Science and Epistemology

In his work on the optimality of meta-induction, Gerhard Schurz tries to contribute to the solution of Humean's induction problem. His approaches to justifying abductive closing are similar . In his writings on scientific explanations , Gerhard Schurz works out the unifying function of explanations. His analysis of "soft" (exceptional) laws of the sciences of living systems is based on his work on the generalized theory of evolution . Schurz commented on the importance and future of the philosophy of science in interviews.

Generalized theory of evolution

Schurz tries to show that the Darwinian modules of variation , reproduction and selection can be detached from their biological anchoring and applied to non-biological evolutionary processes, e.g. B. the evolution of culture .

Metaethics

Hume's thesis that neither norms can be deduced from (non-normative) facts nor facts from norms by means of logic is fully confirmed in Schurz's monograph. Schurz also undertakes to point out which (non-logical) should-be-bridges have to be adopted in order to enable should-be-conclusions.

Teaching

Gerhard Schurz's teaching areas include, in addition to relevant events in his research areas, a number of other topics, such as B. Events on the role of values ​​in the sciences, on world view analysis and ideology criticism, on philosophy and literature (e.g. Robert Musil ), on philosophy and psychology, on cultural evolution or on the question of the “ conflict of cultures ”. In this context, Schurz has taken a position in public discourses.

Selected bibliography

Books:

• Scientific explanation. Approaches to a logical-pragmatic theory of science . dbv-Verlag for Graz University of Technology, Graz 1983.
• The Is-Ought Problem. An Investigation in Philosophical Logic (Trends in Logic Vol 1, Studia Logica Library). Kluwer, Dordrecht 1997.
• Introduction to the philosophy of science . Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2006 (4th edition 2014)
• Evolution in nature and culture. An introduction to the generalized theory of evolution . Spectrum Academic Publishing House, Heidelberg 2011.
• Philosophy of Science: A Unified Approach . Routledge, New York 2014.
• Probability , De Gruyter, Berlin / Boston 2015
• Logic , De Gruyter, Berlin / Boston 2018
• Hume's Problem Solved: The Optimality of Meta-Induction . MIT Press, Cambridge / MA 2019.

Editorships :

• Explaining and understanding in science (With Bv Fraassen, P. Gärdenfors, R. Tuomela, M. Friedman, P. Kitcher and K. Lambert). Oldenbourg, Scientia Nova, Munich 1988, 2nd edition 1990.
• (with P. Weingartner) Law and Prediction in the Light of Chaos Research . Lecture Notes in Physics. Springer, Berlin 1996.
• (with P. Weingartner) Coexistence of rival paradigms. A post-Kuhnian inventory of the structure of contemporary science . West German publishing house, Opladen / Wiesbaden 1998.
• (with P. Weingartner and G. Dorn) The Role of Pragmatics in Contemporary Philosophy . Hölder-Pichler-Tempsky, Vienna 1998.
• (with Hannes Leitgeb ) Non-monotonic and Uncertain Reasoning in the Focus of Paradigms of Cognition . In: Synthesis , 146 / 1–2, 2005 (guest-edited volume).
• (with Markus Werning and Eduard Machery) The Compositionality of Meaning and Content . Ontos, Frankfurt et al. 2005.
• (with Markus Werning) Reliable Knowledge and Social Epistemology. Papers on the Philosophy of Alvin Goldman and Replies by Goldman . Rodopi, Amsterdam 2009.
• (with Ioannis Votsis) Scientific Realism Quo Vadis? In: Synthesis , 180/2, 2011 (guest-edited volume).
• (with Theo Kuipers) Belief Revision Aiming at Truth Approximation . In: Knowledge , 75, 2011 (guest-edited volume).
• (with Ioannis Votsis and Ludwig Fahrbach) Novel Predictions In: Studies in History and Philosophy of Science , 45/1, 2014 (guest-edited volume).
• Book series Philosophical foundations of the sciences and their applications at Peter Lang Verlag.
• (with Martin Carrier) “Values ​​in Science. New approaches to the dispute about value judgments ". Suhrkamp stw 2062, Frankfurt / Main 2013.
• (with Stephan Kornmesser ) “The multiparadigmatic structure of the sciences”. Springer VS, Wiesbaden 2014.
• (together with J.-W. Romeijn, M. Massimi): “EPSA15 Selected Papers. The 5th Conference of the European Philosophy of Science Association in Düsseldorf ". Springer, Cham 2017.
• (together with CJ Feldbacher-Escamilla, A. Gebharter) "Selected Papers of the Triennial Conference of the German Society for Philosophy of Science GWP.2016". In: Journal for General Philosophy of Science 48/3, 2017 (special issue).

Approx. 240 scientific articles in international journals and compilations (for a selection see individual references).

Web links

• Member entry of Gerhard Schurz at the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina
• Literature by and about Gerhard Schurz in the catalog of the German National Library
• Homepage at the University of Düsseldorf (with a series of articles as PDF)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ DCLPS
2. ^ Society for the Philosophy of Science
3. ↑ AIPS
4. ↑ DFG project: “Neuroframes”
5. ↑ DFG project: “Frame-Theoretic Investigation of Scientific Theories”
6. ↑ ^{a b} DFG project: “Probability-Logic”
7. ↑ DFG project: "Causality and Explanation" ( Memento of the original from February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
8. ↑ DFG project: “Frame-Theoretical Investigation of Unification and Reduction” ( Memento of the original from February 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
9. ^ DFG project: "The Role of Meta-Induction in Human Reasoning".  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
10. ↑ DFG project: “Logic and Ontology of the Cognitive Representation of Theories”
11. ↑ DFG project "Frame Representation of Prototype Concepts and Prototype-based Reasoning"
12. ↑ DFG project "Creative Abductive Inference and Its Role for Inductive Metaphysics"
13. ↑ DFG project "Statistical Causation, Intervention, and Freedom"
14. ↑ Relevant Deduction . (PDF; 2.8 MB) In: Knowledge 35, 1991, pp. 391–437.
15. ^ Verisimilitude and Belief Revision . In: Knowledge 75, 2011, pp. 203-221.
16. ↑ Most General First Order Theorems are Not Recursively Enumerable . In: Theoretical Computer Science , 148, 1995, pp. 149-163.
17. ↑ (Together with Kit Fine :) Transfer Theorems for Multimodal Logics . (PDF; 2.4 MB) In: J. Copeland (ed.): Logic and Reality . Cambridge Univ. Press, 1996, pp. 169-213.
18. ↑ Probabilistic Semantics for Delgrande's Conditional Logic . In: Artificial Intelligence , 102/1, 1998, pp. 81-95.
19. ^ "Reward versus Risk in Uncertain Inference". In: "Review of Symbolic Logic", 5/4, 2012, pp. 574-612.
20. ^ "Impossibility Results for Rational Belief". In: Noûs 53/1, 2019, pp. 134–159.
21. ^ The Meta-Inductivist's Winning Strategy in the Prediction Game . (PDF; 7 MB) In: Philosophy of Science , 75, 2008, pp. 278–305.
22. ^ "Hume's Problem Solved: The Optimality of Meta-Induction". MIT Press, Cambridge / MA 2019.
23. ^ Patterns of Abduction . In: Synthesis , 164, 2008, pp. 201-234.
24. ↑ (Together with Karel Lambert :) Outline of a Theory of Scientific Understanding . In: Synthesis , 101, No 1, 1994, pp. 65-120.
25. ↑ What Is 'Normal'? An Evolution-Theoretic Foundation of Normic Laws , Philosophy of Science 28, 2001, pp. 476-497.
26. ^ Ceteris Paribus Laws: Classification and Deconstruction . In: Knowledge 57, No. 3, 2002, pp. 351-372.
27. ↑ Interview with Gerhard Schurz (PDF; 438 kB) In: The Reasoner , Vol. 5, No. October 10, 2011.
28. ^ "Fallacies - Philosopher warns of the risk of error in forecasts". TV recording 3sat nano, October 22, 2013 (long version).
29. ↑ "Beware of prognosis!". TV recording 3sat scobel. 6th July 2017.
30. ^ The Is-Ought Problem
31. ↑ Homepage: Subject areas ( Memento of the original from August 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
32. ↑ Sarrazin defends the values ​​from which the SPD emerged , Focus 1/2011, 56. A secular age? TV recording Bayern Alpha February 12, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
33. ↑ Homepage of the book series ( Memento of the original dated February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.