Philosophy of Science in Cambridge

Cambridge has a long tradition of seminal work in the philosophy of science, stretching back as far as William Whewell in the 19th century, and Frank Ramsey, Richard Braithwaite and Ian Hacking in the 20th century. Its position as a leading international centre was further cemented with the establishment of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science in the 1960s.

Since then, the Department has been home to a series of distinguished philosophers of science, including Mary Hesse, Gerd Buchdahl and Peter Lipton; meanwhile, Hugh Mellor led work in the philosophy of science in the Philosophy Faculty. In contemporary Cambridge, philosophy of science thrives in a rich and a diverse network. Our community is based in HPS, and includes members of the Faculty of Philosophy and many Colleges and research centres. We are working at the forefront of every major area of philosophy of science, including general philosophy of science, philosophy of physics, philosophy of chemistry, philosophy of biology, philosophy of medicine, philosophy of social science, philosophy of the cognitive sciences, integrated history and philosophy of science, and formal philosophy of science.