-
Birth Date
Ian MacDougall Hacking was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. -
Education
Ian Hacking earned his undergraduate degree in 1956 at The University of British Columbia. Ian Hacking attended graduate school at Cambridge University. He was taught by the famous philosopher Casimir Lewy. He earned his Ph.D. in 1962. -
Teaching Career
Ian began teaching at Princeton University in 1960. From 1961-1962 he taught at the University of Virginia. He then became a research fellow at Cambridge from 1962-64 After his brief stint at Cambridge, he became an assistant professor, associate professor at the University of British Columbia from 1964-69. His next to last stop was at Stanford from1974-82. Ian became a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto in 1983 and the university professor in 1991. He finally retired in 2011. -
The Emergence of Probability
In 1975 Ian Hacking got his big break. This was the first time the rise of probability and statistical thinking was examined from a historical point of view. His book launched a new discipline Historical Probability. -
Philosophy of Science Influences
Hacking's largest contribution to the Philosophy of Science is entity realism. Entities are things with distinct and independent existence. Hacking believes we should believe in entities suggested by scientific theories, but we should be wary of the theories at the same time. He is known for taking philosophical thinking a step further than Thomas Kuhn. He was strongly influenced by Casimir Lewey, his professor at Cambridge University, and considers himself a "Cambridge analytic philosopher". -
Killam Prize
In 2002 Ian Hacking received Canadas most prestigious award the "Killam Prize" for his lifetime achievements. -
SCIENTIFIC REALISM VIDEO
-
WORKCITED
Ian Hacking - Balzan Prizewinner Bio-Bibliography, www.balzan.org/en/prizewinners/ian-hacking/bio-bibliography-hacking. Ian Hacking, informationphilosopher.com/solutions/philosophers/hacking. “Ian Hacking.” Oxford Reference, www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095914608.
