Background
Nagel, Ernest was born on November 16, 1901 in Novemesto, Czechoslovakia. Came to the United States, 1911. Naturalized, 1919. Son of Isidor and Frida (Weisz) Nagel.
("Recent controversies between analytic and historic-socio...)
"Recent controversies between analytic and historic-sociological approaches to the philosophy of science have not diminished its significance; in fact, it seems to me that the pragmatic component in Nagel's have not diminished its significance; in fact, it seems to me that the pragmatic component in Nagel's thinking may be helpful for efforts to develop a rapprochement between the contending schools." -- Carl G Hempel
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( Earnest Holmes' practical mysticism offers a greater un...)
Earnest Holmes' practical mysticism offers a greater understanding of metaphysical laws and provides spiritual insight, tools, practices, and strategies to enrich any life in profound and surprising ways. More than seven decades after its original publication, Ernest Holmes' classic textbook, The Science of Mind, continues to transform lives. Distilled from the great philosophies and religions of the world, Dr. Holmes' teaching stands the test of time. It presents a perspectrive of God that is as refreshing and contemporary today as it was when Holmes wrote this magnificent work. In an updated format for the 21st century, The Science of Mind is available for the first time on compact disc. The text is read with power, passion, and inspiriation by the Rev. Cynthia James.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0917849078/?tag=2022091-20
( Earnest Holmes' practical mysticism offers a greater un...)
Earnest Holmes' practical mysticism offers a greater understanding of metaphysical laws and provides spiritual insight, tools, practices, and strategies to enrich any life in profound and surprising ways. More than seven decades after its original publication, Ernest Holmes' classic textbook, The Science of Mind, continues to transform lives. Distilled from the great philosophies and religions of the world, Dr. Holmes' teaching stands the test of time. It presents a perspectrive of God that is as refreshing and contemporary today as it was when Holmes wrote this magnificent work. In an updated format for the 21st century, The Science of Mind is available for the first time on compact disc. The text is read with power, passion, and inspiriation by the Rev. Cynthia James.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0917849078/?tag=2022091-20
([Quine, W.V.O.] Black, Max / Church, Alonzo (Editors) / C...)
[Quine, W.V.O.] Black, Max / Church, Alonzo (Editors) / Carnap, Rudolf / Nagel, Ernest (Authors). The Journal of Symbolic Logic. Vols. 11-12 New York, Academic Press, 1946-1947. Large-8°. Two volumes bound in one. 142pp, 162pp. From the library of philosopher Willard Van Orman Quine. These volumes were Quine's working-copies. Quine's ownership signature to front free endpaper. Some marginal calculations in black ink on p. 85 Vol. 11. Quine has corrected two small typos on p.108 Vol. 11, and p.147 Vol. 12. Very good, bound in cloth covered boards. The volumes include for instance: Rudolf Carnap - Modalities and quantification / Archie Blake - A Boolean derivation of the Moore-Osgood theorem / W.V.O.Quine - Concatenation as a basis for arithmetic / W.V.O.Quine - On Universals / W.V.O.Quine - The Problem of interpreting modal logic / Hao Wang - A note on Quine's principles of quantification / Nelson Goodman and W.V.O.Quine - Steps toward a constructive nominalism etc. etc.
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Nagel, Ernest was born on November 16, 1901 in Novemesto, Czechoslovakia. Came to the United States, 1911. Naturalized, 1919. Son of Isidor and Frida (Weisz) Nagel.
Bachelor of Science in Social Studies, City University of New York, 1923. Doctor of Humane Letters, City University of New York, 1972. A.M., Columbia University, 1925.
Doctor of Philosophy, Columbia University, 1931. D. Litt, Columbia University, 1971. Doctor of Humane Letters, Bard College, 1964.
Doctor of Science, Brandeis University, 1965. Doctor of Literature, Rutgers University, 1967. Doctor of Literature, Case Western Reserve University, 1970.
Teacher public schools, New York City, 1923-1929. Instructor philosophy City University of New York, 1930-1931. Instructor Columbia University, 1931-1937, assistant professor, 1937-1939, associate professor, 1939-1946, professor, 1946-1955, John Dewey professor philosophy, 1955-1966, University professor, 1967-1970, emeritus professor, 1970-1985.
("Recent controversies between analytic and historic-socio...)
(Ernest Nagel, one of the world's leading philosophers of ...)
( Earnest Holmes' practical mysticism offers a greater un...)
( Earnest Holmes' practical mysticism offers a greater un...)
([Quine, W.V.O.] Black, Max / Church, Alonzo (Editors) / C...)
On the Logic of Measurement, Sovereign Reason, 1954, Logic Without Metaphysics, 1957, (with J.R. Newman) Godel's Proof, 1958, The Structure of Science, 1961, Teleology Revisited, 1978. Author or co-author several books. Contributor to publications.Editor: Journal Philosophy, 1940-1956, Philosophy of Science, 1956-1959, Journal Symbolic Logic, 1939-1945.
The teaching of M. Cohen at the City College of New York attracted Nagel to philosophy. From his mentor Nagel derived a profound appreciation of logic and a sense of the primacy of the role of reason in experimental science. This early orientation favoured a realist interpretation of the theories and concepts of natural science.
At Columbia University, however, experimental pragmatism prevailed under the sway of John Dewey, and Nagel was drawn in the direction of naturalism and empirical pragmatism. His study of formal mathematical logic, embracing investigations into probability theory and the foundations of mathematics, led him to a keen appreciation of logical empiricism. Nagel sought to equilibrate these various tendencies towards realism and pragmatism, rationalism and empiricism. philosophical analysis and systematic philosophy, within a comprehensive, sophisticated theory of scientific naturalism.
Like Cohen, Nagel had a rare genius for lucid exposition of the most recondite matters in logic, mathematics and natural science. He was among the first Americans to take account of the rise of logical positivism. His article ‘Impressions and appraisals of analytic philosophy in Europe', originally published in the Journal of Philosophy in 1936 and later reprinted in his Logic Without Metaphysics (1957), reviewed the works of Wittgenstein.
Schlick, Carnap and the Polish logicians, in addition to the analytic movement at Cambridge University under G. E. Moore and Wittgenstein. Nagel assimilated their contributions to his own rationalism and naturalism. The naturalism to which Nagel subscribed maintains two theses.
First, the executive order of nature consists of the actions and organizations of spatio-temporally located bodies that produce the occurrence of all events, qualities, processes, behaviours of individual entities, and so forth. Second, ‘the manifest plurality and variety of things, of their qualities and functions, are an irreducible feature of the cosmos’. So Nagel’s naturalism, bound to science as the only way to know, is not simplistically reductionist.
It offers ‘a generalized account of the cosmic scheme and of man’s place in it, as well as a logic of inquiry’. Nagel was a prolific author of essays and book reviews for professional journals, scientific periodicals and literary reviews. Sovereign Reason (1954) is a collection of sixteen articles.
The titular essay is a detailed critique of Blanshard’s vision of the scope and office of human reason. Nagel dissected and refuted Blanshard's theory of internal relations, which allegedly culminated in an intelligible cosmos of necessarily related parts. Although a rationalist, Nagel was antipathetic to idealistic speculations that proceeded dialectically and denied the manifest reality of plurality, change, novelty and contingency.
His naturalism was married not to dialectic, but to analysis and the methods of science as the avenues to knowledge.
In ‘Logic without ontology’, an essay originally published in V. H. Krikorian, Naturalism and the Human Spirit and reprinted in Logic Without Metaphysics, Nagel examined several interpretations of the principle of non-contradiction: he contended that they involve metaphysical assumptions incompatible with the nature of scientific knowledge. Nagel’s own theory of logic is naturalistic and contextualistic. Examining the principles of logic as they operate in the specific contexts of the language of science, he concluded that they are not a priori structures of reality, nor empirical generalizations, nor mere formal tautologies, but normative rules, prescriptive for the use of language.
Nagel’s naturalism was not silent in matters of religion. He not only defended atheism by attacking theistic arguments as logically flawed, but advocated atheism on the moral ground that, while life is ultimately tragic, it's morally imperative that we follow the route of reason and science in order to try to solve its problems, instead of succumbing to illusions and false hopes. Nagel’s major book is The Structure of Science (1961).
It examines the logical structure of scientific explanations, their mutual relations, their functions in inquiry and their devices lor
systematizing knowledge. In seeking explanations
scientists construct theories, of which Nagel sought to define the cognitive status. Criticizing the claims of descriptivists, instrumentalists and realists, Nagel proposed a contextualism.
He found that each of the rival philosophies of the cognitive status of scientific theories was useful in different contexts of scientific investigation, the instrumentalist in the upper levels of theory and the realist at the level of empirical statements, while the descriptivist combined both philosophies in dealing with these different levels. Hence Nagel sought to resolve the conflicts by reducing the disputes to matters of language. Moreover, Nagel’s treatment of the disputes over the cognitive status of scientific theories as tantamount to verbal conflicts over ‘preferred modes o speech’ is paradigmatic of his contextualisticlinguistic strategy in resolving philosophical disputes at large.
It is reminiscent of the pragmatism of William James, who jocularly compared quibbles over whether we can run around a squirrel running around a tree with meaningless metaphysical disputes, and also of the logical positivism of Rudolf Carnap, for whom metaphysical disputes originate in confusions about language. In 1980 Columbia University awarded Nagel the Nicholas Murray Butler Medal for excellence in philosophy.
Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science (vice president section L 1951, 73), American Academy Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society, British Academy (correspondent fellow). Member Association Symbolic Logic (president 1947-1949), American Philosophical Association (president eastern division 1954), Conference Methods Philosophy Science (chairman 1946-1947), New York Philosophical Society, Institute Unity Science (vice president), International Union Philosophy and History of Science, Philosophy of Science Association, Phi Beta Kappa.
Philosophy of science.
Cohen, Dewey and Carnap.
Married Edith Haggstrom, January 23, 1935. Children– Alexander, Sidney.