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Birth
Ernest Nagal was born in Czechoslovakia Nov 16, 1901. He came to the United States in 1911 and became a citizen in 1919. -
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Early- On
Nagel taught for a decade at New York public schools, he earned a bachelors of science from the City College of New York in 1923 and his doctorate from Columbia University in 1930. -
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One of the Best
From the 1930s to the 1960s Nagel was the most prominent American philosopher of science. He advocated logical realism, and believed the principles of logic represent the universal and eternal traits of nature. He later developed an approach leaning more towards the abstract and functional aspects of logic and the philosophy of science, in their application to experimental science and experimentation. -
An Introduction to Logic and Scientific Method
Nagel studied under Morris Cohen with whom he collaborated with on his first publication, "An Introduction to Logic and Scientific Method", illustrating the function of logical principles in the scientific method in the natural/social sciences as well as law and history. -
Essay
In 1936, after completing a year of study in Europe, Nagel published "Impressions and Appraisals of Analytic Philosophy in Europe", introducing Americans to the works of European philosophers including; Ludwig Wittgenstein and Rudolf Carnap. -
The Structure of Science
"The Structure of Science" was published by Nagel in 1961 and is considered one of the best works on the philosophy of science -
Atheism and Skeptisism
Nagel became one of the first sponsors and fellows of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. After his death the committee inducted him into the "Pantheon of Skeptics" due to his contributions to the cause of scientific skepticism. (The committee supported skeptical approaches to claims of the paranormal.) -
Death
Ernest Nagel passed September 22, 1985 -
Educational Video
