Guide to the Carl Gustav Hempel Papers, 1903-1997 ASP.1999.01

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Carl Gustav Hempel Papers
Creator
Hempel, Carl G. (Carl Gustav)
Collection Number
ASP.1999.01
Extent
25 Linear Feet
Date
1903-1997
Abstract
Carl Gustav Hempel was a philosopher of science who played a central role in the development of logical positivism. His work is primarily associated with the concept of deductive-nomological explanation and with the Raven paradox. The papers include biographical material, correspondence, research and lecture manuscripts, teaching documents, and offprints by him and others, mostly stemming from his post-immigration period in the U.S. Digital reproductions of this collection are available online.
Language
English
Author
Brigitta Arden.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital reproductions of this collection are available online.

Biography

Carl Gustav Hempel was born in 1905 in Oranienburg, Germany. He studied mathematics, physics, and philosophy at the Universities of Göttingen, Heidelberg, Berlin, and Vienna. In 1929, he participated in a congress on scientific philosophy where he met Rudolf Carnap. Inspired by Carnap's work, Hempel moved to Vienna during the winter semester of 1929-1930 and joined in the meetings of the Vienna Circle. After returning to Berlin, he earned his Ph.D. in 1934 for his work on probability under Hans Reichenbach, himself a major figure in the field of logical empiricism. The same year, Hempel and his first wife Eva left the increasingly repressive Germany and emigrated to Belgium, with the help of Paul Oppenheim, with whom he co-authored the book Der Typusbegriff im Lichte der neuen Logik in 1936. After three years of private research and writing, Hempel emigrated to the U.S. in 1937, accepting a position as Carnap's research assistant in philosophy at the University of Chicago. Subsequently, he held positions at the City College of New York, Queens College, and Yale University, where he was promoted to the rank of Professor in 1953. During his Yale period, Hempel also spent a semester as a Visiting Professor at Columbia University in the fall of 1950, as a Hibben Research Fellow at Princeton in the spring of 1953, and a year as a Visiting Professor at Harvard University in 1953-1954. In 1955, Hempel joined the Princeton faculty as a Stuart Professor of Philosophy. He came to the University of Pittsburgh in 1976 as a University Professor of Philosophy and stayed until 1985, when he returned to Princeton. On November 9, 1997, Hempel died at age 92 near his home in Princeton Township, New Jersey.

Hempel was a philosopher of science who played a central role in the development of logical positivism or logical empiricism. In his early years, he was a member of the so called Berlin Circle ("Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Philosophie"), a Berlin counterpart to the Vienna Circle. Hempel's work is mainly associated with the concept of deductive-nomological explanation and with the Raven paradox. In 1948, Hempel developed with Paul Oppenheim a logically precise theory known as the Deductive-Nomological, or Covering Law, Model of Explanation, which sees scientific laws and theories as systematizing otherwise unwieldy bodies of particular empirical claims. To deal with probabilistic explanation, Hempel articulated an Inductive-Statistical Model in 1962. He also developed models of historical and functional explanation in the biological and social sciences, as well as of historical explanation. Those models shaped all subsequent work on scientific explanation.

Hempel also sought to describe the conditions under which particular reports of observation may be said to confirm general hypothesis. His famous Raven Paradox exemplifies the logical challenge: Since the hypothesis (1) "All ravens are black" can be reformulated equivalently as (2) "All non-black things are non-ravens," the report of non-black non-ravens (e.g., white shoes) would seem to confirm (1) just as would the report of black ravens. Hempel then proposed a quantitative method for determining the degree of confirmation of any hypothesis by particular statements of evidence.

Hempel was author of the influential books Aspects of Scientific Explanation and Other Essays in the Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Natural Science, which have been translated into ten languages. He held Guggenheim and Fulbright fellowships and served as a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford and as an honorary research fellow in philosophy at University College, London. He also was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the Académie Internationale de Philosophie des Sciences and American Philosophical Society, and a corresponding fellow of the British Academy.

Scope and Content Notes

The papers originate from Hempel's office at Princeton University. The majority of the material was organized by Hempel according to various filing systems. Whenever possible, the original order has been maintained. The greater part of the papers is in English, but a considerable amount is also in German, and a few items are in French. The papers feature some early, pre-immigration material from Hempel's European period while living in Berlin, Vienna, and Brussels. The majority of the documents, however, stem from his post-immigration period in the U.S. The papers are divided into five series. Hempel's biographical material covers mainly the years 1928 to 1966 and comprises personal and educational records, such as diaries, notebooks, diplomas, and professional records, e.g. curricula vitae and employment correspondence. The correspondence series extends from the 1920s to the 1990s, with the bulk of the material concentrating on the years 1940-1990. The correspondence is subdivided into general correspondence; exchanges between Hempel, Paul Oppenheim, and Kurt Grelling; contacts between Hempel, Oppenheim, and other correspondents; family correspondence; and letters of recommendation, which are currently closed to research access. Documents in the research, lectures and publications series consist of Hempel's research manuscripts and notes, lecture drafts, book inserts, and a variety of material pertaining to his conference participations, contributions, and publications, generally focusing on the years 1950 to 1990. Manuscripts on both the Carus and Gavin David Young lectures are contained in two separate subseries. Hempel's teaching materials include folders he prepared for his graduate and undergraduate classes, in particular at the Universities of Yale, Princeton, and Pittsburgh, mostly covering the years 1949-1985. It also features a few dissertations and administrative documents. Please note that due to the sensitive and confidential nature of some of the material, access to this series is restricted. Finally, the offprints series is divided into offprints authored by Hempel and offprints authored by others. Offprints of others' publications are organized from A-Z according to author. Most of them contain handwritten annotations and dedications to Hempel, and some prominent authors in the field are featured.

Arrangement

Some series are divided into subseries. More detailed scope and content notes are available at the series level:

Series I. Biographical Material

Series II. Correspondence

Series III. Research, Lectures, and Publications

Series IV. Teaching

Series V. Audio Recordings

Series VI. Offprints

Access Restrictions

Access to the collection is open for research with the following exceptions: Letters of recommendation and some individual files in the general correspondence series are closed. Research access to material in the teaching series and to some files of correspondence is restricted; requests are subject to individual review by curator. Please contact the Archives & Special Collections for additional information.

Acquisition Information

The papers were purchased and received in one accession in July 1999 from Carl Hempel's wife, Diane Hempel.

Previous Citation

Carl Gustav Hempel Papers, 1903-1997, ASP.1999.01, Archives of Scientific Philosophy, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh

Preferred Citation

Carl Gustav Hempel Papers, 1903-1997, ASP.1999.01, Archives of Scientific Philosophy, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Brigitta Arden in April 2006.

Copyright

The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Princeton University -- Faculty
    • University of Pittsburgh -- Faculty
    • Yale University -- Faculty

    Personal Names

    • Grelling, Kurt
    • Oppenheim, Paul
    • Reichenbach, Hans
    • Hempel, Carl G. (Carl Gustav) -- Archives
    • Carnap, Rudolf, 1891-1970
    • Becker-Freyseng, Albrecht
    • Feigl, Herbert

    Genres

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

    Other Subjects

    • Science -- Philosophy -- History -- 20th century
    • Science -- Philosophy -- History -- Sources
    • Knowledge, Theory of -- History -- 20th century
    • Explanation
    • Analysis (Philosophy)
    • Science -- Methodology
    • Vienna circle
    • Logical positivism -- History -- 20th century
    • Philosophy

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