View source for Wolfgang Stegmüller

{{Infobox philosopher
| region      = [[Western philosophy]]
| era         = [[20th-century philosophy]]
| image       = 
| caption     =
| name        = Wolfgang Stegmüller
| birth_date  = {{Birth date|1923|6|3|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Natters]], [[First Republic of Austria|Austria]]
| death_date  = {{death date and age|1991|6|11|1923|6|3|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Munich]], [[Germany]]
| school_tradition = [[Structuralism (philosophy of science)|Scientific structuralism]], [[Analytic philosophy]]
| main_interests   = [[Philosophy of science]]
| influences = [[W. V. O. Quine]], [[Joseph D. Sneed]], [[Thomas S. Kuhn]]
| influenced = [[Franz von Kutschera]], [[Lorenz Bruno Puntel]]
| notable_ideas = 
}}
'''Wolfgang Stegmüller''' (June 3, 1923 – June 11, 1991), was a German-Austrian philosopher with important contributions in [[philosophy of science]] and in [[analytic philosophy]].

==Biography==

W. Stegmüller studied [[economics]] and [[philosophy]] at the University of Innsbruck. In 1944 he graduated as "Diplom-Volkswirt" and one year later he obtained a PhD in economics. Also at the University of Innsbruck he obtained in 1947 a PhD in philosophy. In 1949 he [[Habilitation|habilitated]] with the thesis "Sein, Wahrheit und Wert in der heutigen Philosophie".

After a stay of one year at the University of Oxford in 1954 he returned to the University of Innsbruck where he was appointed as associate professor for philosophy in 1956. After stays as visiting professor at the Universities of Kiel and Bonn he received a call from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Here in 1958 he was appointed professor for philosophy, logic, and philosophy of sciences and became director of the "Seminar II". Except for two stays at as a visiting professor in 1962/63 and 1964 at the University of Pennsylvania he remained in Munich and ran there a center for [[analytical philosophy]] until his retirement in 1990. From 1977 to 1979 he also was dean of the faculty for philosophy, philosophy of science, and statistics.  

Stegmüller was from 1966 on a corresponding member of the [[Austrian Academy of Sciences]] and from 1967 on a member of the [[Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities]]. 1972 he became a member of the French [[Institut International de Philosophie]], located in Paris. He also was a member of the [[International Academy of Science]] founded in 1980. In 1989 W. Stegmüller was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Innsbruck. After his retirement he was elected as honorary president of the [[Gesellschaft für Analytische Philosophie]] (Society for Analytical Philosophy).

==Work==

Stegmüller can be credited with essential contributions to the dissemination of ideas of [[analytical philosophy]] and [[philosophy of science]] in the [[German language|German]]-speaking world. In his [[inaugural lecture]] at the [[University of Innsbruck]], he outlined the four problems in [[epistemology]], which he focussed on in his later work:

* The problem of [[inductive reasoning|induction]]
* The fundamental role of [[experience]]
* The problem of [[theoretical concept]]s
* The problem of [[scientific explanation]]

Here follows an outline of his thoughts:

===Logic===

In his books "Das Wahrheitsproblem und die Idee der Semantik" (''The Problem of Truth and the idea of Semantics'', 1957), and "Unvollständigkeit und Unentscheidbarkeit" (''Incompleteness and Undecidability'', 1959) Stegmüller disseminated the ideas of [[Alfred Tarski]] and [[Rudolf Carnap]] on [[semantics]] and [[logics]] as well as those of [[Kurt Gödel]] on [[mathematical logic]]. Later similar works are on "Die Antinomien und ihre Behandlung" (''[[antimony|Antinomies]] and Their Treatment'', 1955) as well as "Strukturtypen der Logik" (''Types of Structures of Logic'', 1961).

===Epistemology===

One of the most influential books of Stegmüller is  "Metaphysik, Skepsis, Wissenschaft" (1954). In this work, he discusses the epistemological foundations of [[metaphysics]], [[scepticism]], and [[science]]. He demonstrates that any search for epistemological [[fundamental]]s will necessarily lead to the problem of the [[evidence]] - which Stegmüller does not regard as solvable. He also refuses the potential solution that universal [[skepticism]] is [[self-refuting idea|self-refuting]]. Even if it was self-refuting, universal skepticism can be stated if the skeptic does not try to justify it. In consequence, explicit conditions ("Evidenzvoraussetzungen") are necessary in [[metaphysics]] as well as in [[science]]. This means that neither can be fundamentally justified but do presuppose a decision.

A further focus of Stegmüller's work was [[phenomenalism]]. In "Der Phänomenalismus und seine Schwierigkeiten" (1958), he describes the extreme problems, which hinder a stringent implementation of the phenomentalist program.

===Philosophy of science===

Stegmüller is regared as one of the leading philosophers of science of the second half of the 20th century. Deeply influenced by [[Thomas S. Kuhn]] and [[Joseph D. Sneed]], he and several co-workers expanded upon the ideas of Sneed in order to overcome the prevalent rationality crisis of the science that was often regarded as a consequence of Kuhn's works. Furthermore, this led him to a new answer to the problems of [[theoretical concept]]s. This line of investigations is today known as '''[[structuralism (philosophy of science)|structural theory of the empirical sciences]]'''.

==Selected publications==

*''Hauptströmungen der Gegenwartsphilosophie'', Bd I-IV, Kröner, 7. Auflage (1989), ISBN 3-520-30807-X
*''Unvollständigkeit und Unentscheidbarkeit'', 1959
*''Das Wahrheitsproblem und die Idee der Semantik'', 1957
*''Einheit und Problematik der wissenschaftlichen Welterkenntnis'', 1967
*''Metaphysik-Skepsis-Wissenschaft'',1969
*''Probleme und Resultate der Wissenschafttheorie und Analytischen Philosophie''
**Band I, ''Erklärung-Begründung-Kausalität'', 1983
**Band II, ''Theorie und Erfahrung'', 1974
*** 1. Teilband: ''Theorie und Erfahrung'', 1974
*** 2. Teilband: ''Theorienstrukturen und Theoriendynamik'', 1985
*** 3. Teilband: ''Die Entwicklung des neuen Strukturalismus seit 1973'', 1986
**Band III, ''Strukturtypen der Logik'',1984
**Band IV, ''Personelle und statistische Wahrscheinlichkeit'', 1973
*** 1. Halbband: ''Personelle Wahrscheinlichkeit und rationale Entscheidung'', 1973
*** 2. Halbband: ''Statistisches Schließen - Statistische Begründung - Statistische Analyse'', 1973
*''The Structuralists View of Theories'', 1979
*''Das Problem der Induktion: Humes Herausforderung und moderne Antworten'',
*''Philosophy of economics'', 1982
*''Aufsätze zur Wissenschaftstheorie'', 1980
*''Rationale Rekonstruktion von Wissenschaft und ihrem Wandel''
*'' Kripkes Deutung der Spätphilosophie Wittgensteins. Kommentarversuch über einen versuchten Kommentar.'' 1986

==References and further reading==
*C.G. Hempel, H. Putnam, W.K. Essler: ''Methodology, Epistemology, and Philosophy of Science: Essays in Honour of Wolfgang Stegmüller on the Occasion of his 60th B irth day, June 3rd, 1983. Reprinted ... Journal Erkenntnis, Vol. 19, Nos 1,2 and 3.'' Springer Verlag (1983) ISBN 90-277-1646-3 	
*R. Kleinknecht: ''Nachruf auf Wolfgang Stegmüller'' (two years after he died), Journal for General Philosophy of Science, Vol. 24, 1-16, (1993)

{{Authority control|VIAF=12322233}}
{{Persondata
| NAME              = Stegmuller
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = german philosopher
| DATE OF BIRTH     = June 3, 1923
| PLACE OF BIRTH    = [[Natters]], [[First Republic of Austria|Austria]]
| DATE OF DEATH     = June 11, 1991
| PLACE OF DEATH    = [[Munich]], [[Germany]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stegmuller}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:1991 deaths]]
[[Category:German philosophers]]
[[Category:Austrian philosophers]]
[[Category:Analytic philosophers]]
[[Category:Philosophers of science]]

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