Bas C. van Fraassen (1941 - Present)

By Btrell

  • Introduction to van Fraassen

    Introduction to van Fraassen
    Bastiaan Cornelis van Fraassen was born in Goes, Netherlands and emigrated to Canada with his family in 1956. He earned his Ph. D. in Philosophy in 1966 through the University of Pittsburgh. Best known for his concept of Constructive Empiricism, van Fraassen's career in the philosophy of science has seen him awarded the Lakatos Award (1986) and the Philosophy of Science Association's inaugural Hempel Award for lifetime achievement in philosophy of science (2012).

  • The Scientific Image

    The Scientific Image
    van Fraassen coined the term "constructive empiricism" in his 1980 publication of The Scientific Image, which served in favor of scientific anti-realism. In The Scientific Image, he defined constructive empiricism as the following: "Science aims to give us theories which are empirically adequate ; and acceptance of a theory involves as belief only that it is empirically adequate" (van Fraassen 12).
    van Fraassen Bas C. "The Scientific Image" Oxford University Press, 1980.

  • The Kira Institute

    The Kira Institute
    In 1997, the Kira Institute, a non-profit organization, was founded by Piet Hut, Roger Shepard, Steven Tainer, Bas van Fraassen, and Arthur Zajonc. This organization is aimed towards research and education.

  • The Empirical Stance

    The Empirical Stance
    In 2002, van Fraassen published The Empirical Stance which geared towards answering a couple questions. These were "What is empiricism, and what could it be?" and "What is science--and what does it mean to be secular?" van, Fraassen, Bas C.. The Empirical Stance, Yale University Press, 2002. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/apus/detail.action?docID=3420009. View below link for supplementary info
    TheologicalEpistemology