Guide to the Wesley C. Salmon Papers, 1950-2003 ASP.2003.01

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Wesley C. Salmon Papers
Creator
Salmon, Wesley C.
Collection Number
ASP.2003.01
Extent
43 Linear Feet (71 document cases)
Date
1950-2003
Date
1963-2001
Abstract
Wesley C. Salmon was an historian and philosopher of science who made major contributions to current ideas of scientific explanation, causation, and the nature of induction and probability among other areas of philosophy of science. Salmon was a professor at several major institutions including Indiana University, the University of Arizona and the University of Pittsburgh. The materials in his collection include personal and professional correspondence, manuscripts, working papers, lecture notes and their ancillary materials, versions of professional talks, and documentation from his work in professional organizations. There are also documents relating to his role in academic administration. Further, there are teaching materials and memorabilia. Digital reproductions of this collection are available online.
Language
English .
Author
Lance Lugar.
Sponsor
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

Wesley Charles Salmon was an American philosopher of science who made major contributions in many areas of the discipline. He was born in 1925 and died in 2001. His principal areas of inquiry and research included the concepts of scientific explanation, causality, and the logic of induction. Salmon was widely regarded as one of the most distinguished and productive philosophers of science of the twentieth century. He was educated at Wayne University and the University of Chicago, where he took an M.A. in 1947, and at the University of California at Los Angeles where he received a Ph.D. in philosophy in 1950. He studied under the supervision of Hans Reichenbach.

After taking his Ph.D., Salmon had a long and productive career within academia, holding positions at several major academic institutions. These include the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he was the Norwood Russell Hanson professor (1963-1973); the University of Arizona at Tucson (1973-1981); and the University of Pittsburgh from 1981 to 2001. At the University of Pittsburgh he was Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy from 1981 to 1983 and was University Professor from 1983 until he retired in 1999.

Salmon was the author of more than 100 professional articles. His introductory textbook Logic was a widely used standard for many decades. It went through many editions and was translated into several languages, including Chinese, French, German,Italian, Japanese and Spanish. He authored several works that stand as prominent landmarks of twentieth century philosophy of science. Among these are The Foundations of Scientific Inference (1967), and Statistical Explanation and the Causal Structure of the World (1984); equally significant are Four Decades of Scientific Explanation (1990) and Causality and Explanation (1998). He was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He served as president of the Philosophy of Science Association (1971-1972) and of the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association (1977 - 1978). He was also president of the UNESCO-sponsored International Union of History and Philosophy of Science (1998-1999).

Scope and Content Notes

The collection reflects the activities of a productive academic in the twentieth century. Accordingly the papers document Salmon's research, creative work, professional lectures, teaching, and professional society contributions. The collection has material from the 1930s such as volumes of Erkenntnis, some materials from the 1950s, such as a copy of Salmon's Ph.D. thesis, and some material from his first academic posts. However, the bulk of the material dates from his appointment as a professor at Indiana University in 1963 through his untimely death in 2001. The collection is organized into seven series.

The archival material includes correspondence, which is almost exclusively professional in nature. Letters and e-mails were exchanged not only with fellow philosophers of science, but also with specialists in other disciplines such as statisticians, physicists and mathematicians.

The manuscripts and working papers constitute texts that reflect Salmon's early versions of later published manuscripts, personal copies of published manuscripts, sheets on which he worked out various logical or statistical problems, and similar material. In a few cases, there are corresponding materials for certain other philosophers who sent manuscripts to him for comment.

The professional talks include overheads, annotated outlines and notes while the teaching material relates to his teaching of classes at the university level. Again there are notes, outlines of lectures, annotations, and accompanying materials. Other material in the collection document Salmon's activities in professional organizations.

The collection also contains photographs of Salmon and his associates as well as some annotated books and pre-prints reflecting Salmon's commentary on the contents of these printed materials.

Processing Information

The collection was processed Gary Lance Lugar (2005-2006), Rand P. Hall (October 2008-April 2009), and John T. Sanker III and Sara Woodward (August 2010-February 2011).

Previous Citation

Wesley C. Salmon Papers, 1950-2003, ASP.2003.01, Archives of Scientific Philosophy, Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh

Preferred Citation

Wesley C. Salmon Papers, 1950-2003, ASP.2003.01, Archives of Scientific Philosophy, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Custodial History

All materials were owned by Wesley C. Salmon and in his possession until his death in 2001. Following his death, they were owned by and in the possession of his widow, Merrilee Salmon, who donated them to the Archives of Scientific Philosophy in 2002 and 2004.

Acquisition Information

The material in this archive was donated to the University of Pittsburgh's Archives of Scientific Philosophy by Merrilee Salmon, the widow of Wesley C. Salmon. The material was transferred in several donations between 2002 and 2004.

Access Restrictions

There are some restrictions on the access to the material in this archive: letters of recommendation written for living persons are sequestered as are Salmon's evaluations of research proposals written by living persons.

Copyright

All rights reserved. University of Pittsburgh. For information and permission to quote, reproduce, or publish selections of materials from this archive, please contact the Archives of Scientific Philosophy, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh.

Arrangement

The archival materials are ordered into seven series, some of which are further divided into subseries.

Series I. Correspondence, 1960-2010

Series II. Manuscripts, 1957-2001

Series III. Professional Talks, 1970-2001

Series IV. Teaching Materials, 1951-2001

Series V. Professional Organizations, 1960-2000

Series VI. Photos of Salmon and Colleagues, 1951-2001

Series VII. Library Materials, 1970-2001

Subjects

    Personal Names

    • Grünbaum, Adolf
    • Salmon, Wesley C.

    Genres

    • Photographs
    • Lectures
    • Lecture notes
    • Correspondence
    • Manuscripts (Documents)

    Other Subjects

    • Science -- Philosophy -- History -- Sources
    • Explanation
    • Inference
    • Logic
    • Philosophy
    • Science -- Philosophy

Container List