Larry Laudan, 1941-2022

By alhigginz

  • Birth

    Larry Laudan was born in Austin, Texas.

  • College Graduate

    Laudan graduated from the University of Kansas with a BA in Physics.

  • Doctorate

    Laudan received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Princeton University.

  • Progress and its Problems

    Laudan published his book Progress and its Problems, an extremely influential work where he laid out the core assumptions of his model of scientific progress: "(1) The solved problem, empirical or conceptual, is the basic unit of scientific progress; and (2) the aim of science is to maximize the scope of solved empirical problems" Laudan (1977)

  • Moving country

    In the 1990's, Laudan and his wife moved to Mexico for a change of scenery. It was here where he began to compare and contrast common law and Roman law. Obituary (2022)

  • Criminal Law

    Laudan published his essay: Truth, Error, and Criminal Law, his first of many books discussing legal epistemology. Laudan stated "a criminal trial is first and foremost an epistemic engine, a tool for ferreting out the truth..." Laudan (2006)

  • Death

    Larry Laudan passed away at the age of 80.