Arthur Pap
Encyclopedia
Arthur Pap was a philosopher in the school of analytic philosophy
. Pap published a number of books regarding analytical philosophy, its function within philosophy, and its impact on society.
Jewish family. His musical talent was revealed early and his passion
for playing the piano remained through all of his life. In high school Pap developed also a passion for philosophy and enrolled at Zürich University, where took courses in philosophy and logic from Karl Dürr. At the start of World War II the family fled to the United States and, in 1941, settled in New York City. Pap entered the Juilliard School of Music where he spend a term before starting his studies at Columbia in the fall of 1941. After obtaining his B.A. at Columbia
, Pap went to Yale University
in 1943 for his master’s degree. Ernst Cassirer
who was guest professor at Yale during the period 1941-1944 became his supervisor and provided the original stimulus for Pap’s work on hypothetical necessity and the functional a priori. In 1944 Pap went back to Columbia where he completed his Ph.D. thesis under the supervision of Ernest Nagel
, who first rejected the manuscript. However, it won the Woodbridge prize for best philosophical dissertation and was subsequently published as The A Priori in Physical Theory (1946). Pap started teaching at various universities and had the opportunity to meet some of the leading philosophers, notably Rudolph Carnap with whom he developed a lasting friendship.
During the first years of his career Pap worked on what is nowadays
perhaps his best known book Elements of Analytic Philosophy. Taking a break, next he published a translation of Viktor Kraft's Der Wiener Kreis. Kraft recommended him for a Fullbright lecturer at Vienna University for the academic year 1953-1954. Paul Feyerabend
became his assistant there and helped in the publication of the lectures.
Returning from Europe, Pap stayed briefly at Lehigh University
then took succession from Carl Hempel as analytic philosopher of
science at Yale. There he read courses and held seminars on logic, probability and induction, the philosophy of Russell, and the history of analytic philosophy. In 1957, he edited in collaboration with Paul Edwards
the well-known textbook A Modern Introduction to Philosophy. In the summer of 1959, Pap completed a book,
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science which appeared posthumously. Arthur Pap died on 7 September 1959, shortly before his 38th birthday, from kidney disease.
Analytic philosophy
Analytic philosophy is a generic term for a style of philosophy that came to dominate English-speaking countries in the 20th century...
. Pap published a number of books regarding analytical philosophy, its function within philosophy, and its impact on society.
Life and Works
Arthur Pap was born on October 1, 1921 in Zürich, Switzerland in aJewish family. His musical talent was revealed early and his passion
for playing the piano remained through all of his life. In high school Pap developed also a passion for philosophy and enrolled at Zürich University, where took courses in philosophy and logic from Karl Dürr. At the start of World War II the family fled to the United States and, in 1941, settled in New York City. Pap entered the Juilliard School of Music where he spend a term before starting his studies at Columbia in the fall of 1941. After obtaining his B.A. at Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Pap went to Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1943 for his master’s degree. Ernst Cassirer
Ernst Cassirer
Ernst Cassirer was a German philosopher. He was one of the major figures in the development of philosophical idealism in the first half of the 20th century...
who was guest professor at Yale during the period 1941-1944 became his supervisor and provided the original stimulus for Pap’s work on hypothetical necessity and the functional a priori. In 1944 Pap went back to Columbia where he completed his Ph.D. thesis under the supervision of Ernest Nagel
Ernest Nagel
Ernest Nagel was a Czech-American philosopher of science. Along with Rudolf Carnap, Hans Reichenbach, and Carl Hempel, he is sometimes seen as one of the major figures of the logical positivist movement....
, who first rejected the manuscript. However, it won the Woodbridge prize for best philosophical dissertation and was subsequently published as The A Priori in Physical Theory (1946). Pap started teaching at various universities and had the opportunity to meet some of the leading philosophers, notably Rudolph Carnap with whom he developed a lasting friendship.
During the first years of his career Pap worked on what is nowadays
perhaps his best known book Elements of Analytic Philosophy. Taking a break, next he published a translation of Viktor Kraft's Der Wiener Kreis. Kraft recommended him for a Fullbright lecturer at Vienna University for the academic year 1953-1954. Paul Feyerabend
Paul Feyerabend
Paul Karl Feyerabend was an Austrian-born philosopher of science best known for his work as a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, where he worked for three decades . He lived a peripatetic life, living at various times in England, the United States, New Zealand,...
became his assistant there and helped in the publication of the lectures.
Returning from Europe, Pap stayed briefly at Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
then took succession from Carl Hempel as analytic philosopher of
science at Yale. There he read courses and held seminars on logic, probability and induction, the philosophy of Russell, and the history of analytic philosophy. In 1957, he edited in collaboration with Paul Edwards
Paul Edwards
Paul Edwards may refer to:*Paul Edwards , Welsh shot putter*Paul A. Edwards, American cinematographer, camera operator and television director*Paul Edwards , English flyweight boxer...
the well-known textbook A Modern Introduction to Philosophy. In the summer of 1959, Pap completed a book,
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science which appeared posthumously. Arthur Pap died on 7 September 1959, shortly before his 38th birthday, from kidney disease.
List of works
- The a Priori in Physical Theory. New York: King's Crown Press, 1946.
- Elements of Analytic Philosophy, New York: Macmillan, 1949.
- Analytische Erkenntnistheorie: Kritische Übersicht über die neueste Entwicklung in USA und England. Vienna: Springer, 1955.
- Semantics and Necessary Truth: An Inquiry Into the Foundations of Analytic Philosophy. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1958.
- An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science. New York: The Free Press, 1962.
External links
- Brand Blanshard: Arthur Pap: A Memoir. (1962)