32.5 Linear Feet(62 document cases and 7 letter/legal boxes with covers)
Date
1916-2008
Date
1954-2005
Abstract
This material documents the philosophical activity of David L. Hull between the years 1965-2003. This time span encompasses the whole of his professional career and extends into his retirement. The material consists of letters, manuscripts, surveys, background materials for the research surveys, overheads for talks, data sheets, and other texts generated by his professional career. His works address philosophical problems in and historical explication of many areas of biology including classification, taxonomy, theoretical systematics, evolutionary theory, historical biology, and ecology.
Language
English
.
Author
Lance Lugar.
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
Acquisition Information
The original donation of scholarly material was a gift directly from the creator, David L. Hull, in August of 2004. There was a second donation of scrapbooks documenting David Hull's social and professional life which was donated by the executor of his estate after Hull's death.
Previous Citation
David L. Hull Papers, 1965-2004, ASP.2005.01, Archives of Scientific Philosophy, Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh
Preferred Citation
David L. Hull Papers, 1965-2004, ASP.2005.01, Archives of Scientific Philosophy, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Access Restrictions
Letters of recommendation concerning living individuals have been restricted for 25 years from the date of donation. These materials will not be available until 2030. Series III, Photograph Scrapbooks and Miscellaneous Loose Photographs will be restricted until 2044.
Biography
The American Historian and Philosopher of Science, David Lee Hull, was born in Burnside, Illinois, on June 15, 1935 and lived in Chicago, Illinois, until his death on August 11, 2010. He was educated at Wesleyan University where he received a B.A. degree in 1960. He then attended Indiana University at Bloomington where he received the Ph.D. degree in 1964. He taught at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, from 1964 to 1984, progressing from assistant to full professor and then being appointed Distinguished Professor of Philosophy. In 1985 he was appointed a professor at Northwestern University and this appointment was followed by appointment to the Dressler Professorship in 1989. Hull remained on the Northwestern faculty until his retirement in 2000.
Hull's work encompassed both history and philosophy of biology and centered on philosophical and historical considerations in theoretical taxonomy, systematics, evolutionary biology and genetics. He contributed significantly to many areas of philosophy of biology on topics such as reductionism, philosophies of systematics, and evolutionary theory. Hull has authored many significant articles and books; among them are What Philosophy of Biology is Not (J. Historical Biology 69), Contemporary Systematic Philosophies (Ann. Rev. of Ecology & Systematics 71), and Reduction in genetics – philosophy or biology? (Philos. Sci. 73).
Processing Information
Terrence Henretty of the Special Collections Department began the processing of the collection in 2004-2005. John T. Sanker III and Lance Lugar then completed the processing of the manuscripts and correspondence in 2009-2010. This finding aid was prepared by Lance Lugar of the Archives for Scientific Philosophy. In 2013-2014 Amanda Peters curated the entire scrapbook collection and prepared the appropriate section in the finding aid.
Scope and Content Notes
The first and largest series of materials from the first donation consists of professional correspondence between David Hull and other philosophers of science as well as academics in related fields. These correspondents were in disciplines such as evolutionary biology whose work was of interest to Hull. The remaining series deal with manuscripts written by Hull.
The second donation consists of scrapbooks documenting Hull's personal and professional life. These scrap books contain material from previous generations of Hull's family as well as photos of his friends and philosophical colleagues.
Arrangement
The records are organized into three series.
Series I. Correspondence, 1960-2004
Series II. Manuscripts and Working Papers
Series III. Photograph Scrapbooks and Miscellaneous Loose Photographs, 1916-2008
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