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Birth of Nancy Cartwright
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Bachelors Degree - Mathematics
Dr. Cartwright earns a degree in Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh. -
PhD in Philosophy
Dr. Cartwright earns a PhD degree in philosophy from the University of Illinois - Chicago. -
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"The Stanford School" - Philosophy of Science
Dr. Cartwright is part of the faculty at Stanford University. During this timeframe, Dr. Cartwright along with fellow Professors John Dupré, Peter Galison, Ian Hacking and Patrick Suppes form "The Stanford School" of philosophy of science which emphasizes the disunity of science. Section 5.1 https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/scientific-unity/ -
"How The Laws of Physics Lie" is published.
Cartwright's seminal work presents her argument against "fundamental" laws ruling nature. Cartwright argues that what scientists believe are fundamental, universal laws are in reality causal laws requiring specific, reoccurring phenomenon. -
"Nature’s Capacities and Their Measurement" is published.
Dr. Cartwright continues her defense which began with How the Laws of Physics Lie by providing an argument for the measurement of causal claims as the basis for the true laws of nature in scientific work. "And they are proper laws: they describe what would happen were the situation like that".
“Précis of Nature’s Capacities and Their Measurement.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, vol. 55, no. 1, 1995, pp. 153–56. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2108313. -
"The Dappled World: A Study of the Boundaries of Science" is published.
Teller, Paul. “Critical Study: Nancy Cartwright’s The Dappled World: A Study of the Boundaries of Science.” Noûs (Bloomington, Indiana), vol. 36, no. 4, 2002, pp. 699–725, https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0068.t01-1-00408. -
"Evidence-Based Policy: A Practical Guide to Doing It Better" is published.
Short video on Dr. Cartwright's evidenced-based policy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZtT9J2vfps -
"Philosophy of Social Science" is published
Dr. Cartwright edits a collection of essays covering the philosophy of social science. -
Dr. Cartwright receives the Carl Hempel Award
Dr. Cartwright receives the Carl Hempel Award from the Philosophy of Science Association. She is the first woman to receive the award. The Hempel Award was established in 2012 and is a biennial award given by the Philosophy of Science Association to recognize lifetime scholarly achievement in the philosophy of science. https://philsci.org/hempel_award_recipients.php -
Current Teaching Position
Dr. Cartwright is currently a Professor of Philosophy at Durham University and a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, San Diego.