In Praise of the Inexact, the Inelegant and the Unassuming
The First Annual Mary Hesse Lecture in the Philosophy and History of Science was given by Professor Nancy Cartwright on Thursday 24 October 2024 at 3pm in the Old Divinity School, St John's College, Cambridge. It was followed by a drinks reception in the Whipple Museum.
Nancy Cartwright is Professor of Philosophy at Durham University and a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, San Diego. Her current research focuses on objectivity and evidence, especially for evidence-based policy.
Professor Mary Hesse (1924–2016), along with Gerd Buchdahl and Michael Hoskin, made our department into a well-respected teaching organisation within the Natural Sciences Tripos; and her widely acclaimed publications did much to establish its international reputation. Mary was an incisive and cogent lecturer, and an inspiring and generous supervisor. Her career provided a model for women in academia, in times when it was even more difficult for them to gain the recognition they deserved for their work.