Guide to the Bruno De Finetti Papers, 1924-2000 ASP.1992.01

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Bruno De Finetti Papers
Creator
De Finetti, Bruno
Collection Number
ASP.1992.01
Extent
11.5 Linear Feet (15 large and 6 small document cases, 3 record center cartons of annotated books)
Date
1924-2000
Abstract
Bruno de Finetti was an Italian probabilist and statistician, noted for the "operational subjective" conception of probability. He provided significant contributions to the theory and the foundations of probability, and his work laid the foundation for the modern subjectivist interpretation of probability. The papers include de Finetti's student notebooks, research papers, lecture and teaching notes, professional and administrative records, newspaper clippings, personal and professional correspondence, and volumes of books from his personal library. Digital reproductions of this collection are available online.
Language
English .
Author
Gualtiero Piccinini, Francesca di Poppa in 2003, and Brigitta Arden in 2004. Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Brigitta Arden in July 2004.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Biography

Bruno de Finetti was born on June 13, 1906, in Innsbruck, Austria, and died in Rome on July 20, 1985. He began his academic career at the Polytechnic of Milan in 1923 as a student of engineering but later enrolled in the mathematics program at Milan University. While still an undergraduate student, he published his first paper in the area of biomathematics titled "Mathematical Considerations Regarding Mendelian Heredity."

After completing his degree in applied mathematics in 1927, he joined the newly formed Italian census bureau, Istituto centrale di statistica (ISTAT), in Rome. In 1930 he obtained a position as an assistant professor in mathematical analysis at the University of Trieste. One year later he also started working at the insurance company "Assicurazioni Generali" in Trieste on the company's system automation with IBM machines while at the same time teaching calculus of probability at the University of Trieste. In 1936 he entered the competition for the chair of financial mathematics and statistics. Although finishing first place, he was not nominated due to a fascist law denying access to this position to unmarried candidates. Eventually, in 1950, he was appointed ordinary professor at the University of Trieste, effective retroactively to the year 1942. In 1954 he accepted a call to the faculty of economy and commerce at the University of Rome and transferred in 1961 to the chair of calculus of probability at the faculty of mathematical, physical, and natural sciences. De Finetti stayed at the University of Rome until his retirement in 1976. He died in Rome on July 20, 1985.

De Finetti provided significant contributions to the theory and foundation of probability, both from methodological and philosophical points of view. His concept of subjective probability evolved as a result of his profound interest in the application of logical theories, such as the application of mathematics to actuarial questions, to the statistics of insurance, and to the organizational techniques of public administration.

De Finetti also pioneered the concept of "exchangeability" or "exchangeable events." With the introduction of this model, he discovered a way of connecting the notion of subjective probability with the traditional procedures of statistical inference. De Finetti developed his ideas on subjective probability in the 1920s independently of Frank P. Ramsey. He only became known in the Anglo-American statistical world in the 1950s when L. J. Savage introduced his writings.

Arrangement

The papers were divided into six series. Each series is then divided into one or more subseries according to subject area. More detailed scope and content notes are also available at the series level.

Series I. Educational Records

Series II. Professional Activities

Series III. Research

Series IV. Correspondence

Series V. Personal Interests

Series VI. Writings by de Finetti and Others.

Scope and Content Notes

The papers include de Finetti's student notebooks, research material, lecture and teaching notes, professional and administrative records, newspaper clippings, personal and professional correspondence, and books from his working library. The majority of the documents are in Italian and some are in English, French, and German.

The papers, mainly covering the years 1930-1985, are organized into several series and subseries according to subject matter. Original folders, created by de Finetti, are indicated by headings in quotation marks. Sometimes an inventory sheet by Fulvia de Finetti can be found at the beginning of these folders.

De Finetti's educational records (Series I) consist of notebooks and loose notes from his student days at the University of Milan during the years 1924-1927.

Documents comprised under "Professional Activities" (Series II) concern his involvement in numerous professional organizations, in academic business, and in publication projects. Topics include de Finetti's job applications at various institutions, academic business at the University of Trieste and Rome, and his membership on the scientific board of Statistica and in Accademia dei Lincei.

Bruno de Finetti's research papers (Series III) consist largely of notes, drafts, and typescripts, representing his scientific and academic work as well as its application in such projects as the development of a unified coding system for government records. Also documented is his participation in various national and international conferences and workshops. Major research topics featured in this series are probability theory, probability calculus, statistics, actuarial science, game theory, subjective probability, Bayes' theorem, and mathematics applied to economics.

The correspondence (Series IV) illustrates primarily de Finetti's research and academic activities. Noteworthy correspondents are, among others, Oskar Morgenstern, George Polya, Antonio Gennaro, Luciano Daboni, Dennis Lindley, Jerzy Neyman, Siro Lombardini, Pierpaolo Luzzatto-Fegiz, and Jimmie Savage. General events discussed are research by de Finetti and others, mutual exchange of papers and related comments, and de Finetti's publication and teaching projects. The material is arranged alphabetically according to correspondent and then chronologically within folders. However, please note that many pieces of correspondence can also be found in de Finetti's original, subject-related folders throughout the collection, which were not removed in order to preserve the original arrangement.

Series V documents de Finetti's personal interests such as his involvment in school reform and teaching methodology, his political activism, and related legal problems. A wide variety of materials illustrate de Finetti's efforts to improve science and mathematics teaching, teacher education, and school curricula. Subjects discussed are writings by de Finetti such as Il "saper vedere" in matematica and "Perchè la matematica?" de Finetti's plans for educational movies, and a project for an educational center for teachers. Numerous letters, memoranda, newspaper clippings, articles, and court documents give evidence of de Finetti's political and social activism. Documented are his memberships in the fascist party, his participation in the Movimento Politico Lavoratori (MPL), and his role as editor of the Radical Party's publication Notizie Radicali.

A collection of writings by de Finetti and others, mostly in form of offprints and typescripts, sometimes accompanied by related correspondence, is compiled under the last series (Series VI). These writings illustrate his lifelong political and social engagement on subjects ranging from domestic and foreign politics to ethics, politics of language, sustainable development, and Italian bureaucracy, just to name a few. In addition, annotated books from his library document his research work and his comments on the literature.

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Acquisition Information

Acquired from Bruno de Finetti's daughter, Fulvia de Finetti, Rome, Italy, January 1992, February 1993, and February 1994.

Previous Citation

Bruno de Finetti Papers, 1924-2000, ASP.1992.01, Archives of Scientific Philosophy, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh

Preferred Citation

Bruno de Finetti Papers, 1924-2000, ASP.1992.01, Archives of Scientific Philosophy, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Gualtiero Piccinini in 2000, Francesca di Poppa in 2003, and Brigitta Arden in 2004.

Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Dan Horvath on December 16, 2004. Information about the collection title and the controlled access terms was extracted from the MARC record in the University of Pittsburgh catalog Voyager ID number: 4534273.

Copyright

Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital reproductions of this collection are available online.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Accademia nazionale dei Lincei
    • Università degli studi di Trieste -- Faculty
    • Università di Roma -- Faculty

    Personal Names

    • De Finetti, Bruno -- Archives
    • Daboni, Luciano
    • De Gennaro, Antonio
    • Lindley, D. V. (Dennis Victor)
    • Lombardini, Siro
    • Luzzatto Fegiz, Peirpaolo
    • Morgenstern, Oskar
    • Neyman, Jerzy
    • Pólya, George
    • Savage, Leonard J.

    Genres

    • Lecture notes
    • Personal correspondence
    • Offprints
    • Manuscripts for publication

    Other Subjects

    • Game theory
    • Bayesian statistical decision theory
    • Economics, Mathematical
    • Mathematical statistics
    • Probabilities
    • Philosophy

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