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Birth Date January 8, 1905
Oranienburg, Germany -
Early College
Hempel attended the University of Gottingen where he studied mathematics, and symbolic logic. He was very impressed proving the consistency of math with elementary methods; though he studied philosophy, he found mathematical logic more interesting then traditional logic. At the University of Heidelberg, he studied math, physics, and philosophy. -
Meeting Reichenbach
In 1924 Hempel studied in Berlin and met Reichenbach, who introduced him to the Berlin Circle (which was a group of philosophers and scientists that were active in analyzing contemporary physics, especially Einstein's Theory of Relativity, and developing the frequency interpretation of probability.) Hempel attended Reichenbach's courses on mathematical logic, philosophy of space and time and the theory of probability. -
The First Congress on Scientific Philosophy
Hempel took part in the first congress of scientific philosophy organized by local positivists. There he met Carnap and moved to Vienna where he attended three course and took part in meeting of the Vienna Circle. That same year he qualified as a teacher in the secondary school. -
Recieved his Doctorate
in 1934, he gained his doctorate in philosophy at Berlin, with a dissertation on the theory of probability. This same year he moved to Belgium -
Research Associate in Philosophy
In 1937, Hempel was invited to the University of Chicago. -
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Teaching in America
After another brief period in Belgium, Hempel immigrated to the United States in 1939. He taught in New York, at City College (1939-1940) and at Queens College (1940-1948). In those years, he was interested in the theory of confirmation and explanation, and published several articles on that subject. -
A Note on the Paradoxes of Confirmation
In 1946 Hempel wrote "A Note on the Paradoxes of Confirmation" here is a short video explaining his work: https://youtu.be/7_dbh6RbdCM -
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Yale University
Between 1948 and 1955, Hempel taught at Yale University. His work Fundamentals of Concept Formation in Empirical Science was published in 1952 in the International Encyclopedia of Unified Science -
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Continued Teaching
Hempel continued teaching at several colleges throughout the remaining years of his life. University of Princeton, Berkley, Irvine, Jerusalem and Pittsburgh -
Death
Hempel died November 9, 1997, in Princeton Township, New Jersey