Words of welcome from the DLMPS/IUHPS

Dear logicians and philosophers of science,

Welcome to the web site of the 15th Congress on Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science (CLMPS). The CLMPS is one of the most important activities of the DLMPS (the Division of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science), which is one of two divisions in IUHPS (the International Union for History and Philosophy of Science).  The other division in IUHPS is the DHST (the Division of History of Science and Technology).  IUHPS is a member of the International Council for Science (ICSU).

The DLMPS was founded in 1955, and its members include 31 ordinary members and seven international societies. The DLMPS functions as the umbrella organization of logic and philosophy of science at the global level. The DLMPS facilitates discussion of developments in our fields in a number of commissions, some of which are shared with our sister division, the DHST. In recent years, the two divisions have intensified their collaboration, and we expect to see signs of this at the Helsinki congress.

As part of the International Council for Science (ICSU), the IUHPS plays a special role by providing a meta-perspective on the scientific enterprise, reflecting on scientific practices and institutions. DLMPS takes this task seriously at the Helsinki Congress by organizing two special ICSU sessions relating to current global ICSU research projects on  "Future Earth and Models of Climate Change" and "Health and Welfare". In these sessions, scientists working on these projects will interact with philosophers of science.   In 2014 and 2015, IUHPS is involved in a coordination project for ICSU entitled "Cultures of Mathematical Research Training," which will be presented at the Congress as well.

Since its first installment in 1960 at Stanford University, the CLMPS has been one of the most important global meetings of logicians and philosophers of science, taking place every four years and complementing national and regional meetings that take place more frequently. The Helsinki CLMPS will continue this fine tradition. We hope that many logicians and philosophers of science will present their work in Helsinki in order to provide a vibrant, energetic, and complete picture of our research field.

We look forward to seeing you in Helsinki!

ELLIOTT SOBER
President   

BENEDIKT LÖWE
Assistant Secretary-General

Words of welcome from the Local Organizers

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Local Organising Committee of the 15th Congress of Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science (CLMPS 2015), to be held in Helsinki, 3-8 August, 2015, I wish all of you welcome to the beautiful capital of Finland.

The great tradition of international congresses of LMPS, under the auspices of the Division of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science, was started in 1960 at Stanford University. Every four years these meetings bring together logicians and philosophers of science from all over the world to present and discuss their current work.

The programme covers all systematic and historical aspects of formal logic, general philosophy of science, and philosophical issues of special sciences. The theme of the 15th Congress is “Models and Modelling”. A special feature of the LMPS in 2015 is the co-location of the Logic Colloquium, the European Summer Meeting of the Association for Symbolic Logic (ASL), in Helsinki, which allows the participants also to enjoy a rich supply of lectures in mathematical logic.

The hosting University of Helsinki was established in 1640 as the Royal Academy of Turku. Its staff included a Professor of Theoretical Philosophy whose task was to teach logic or the art of thinking.  When the Academy was moved to Helsinki 1828, it adopted the Humboldtian model of research-based education where philosophy played a leading academic role. Modern philosophy of science reached the University a century later, when Eino Kaila as the new Professor of Theoretical Philosophy introduced the principles of logical empiricism.  Kaila’s students – among them Georg Henrik von Wright, Oiva Ketonen, and Erik Stenius -  and von Wright’s student Jaakko Hintikka created Helsinki as an important international center of logic and philosophy of science. This approach to philosophical logic was complemented in 1973 by the establishment of a new chair of Mathematical Logic at the Department of Mathematics.

The local organizers of the 15th Congress of LMPS include the Philosophical Society of Finland (founded in 1873 by Professor Thiodolf Rein), the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences (TINT) and the Division of Theoretical Philosophy (Department of Philosophy, History, Culture and Art Studies).

Helsinki is a lively and safe Northern metropolis that combines smart urban planning with an attractive scenery on the shore of the Baltic Sea (see www.helsinki.fi).  In 2014 it placed second in a Financial Times European City ranking. Summertime in Finland provides pleasant sunshine and white nights. The venue of our Congress, the neoclassical main building of the University of Helsinki, is located in the middle of the compact downtown area, within a walking distance from the main hotels.

Welcome to Helsinki in August 2015 to enjoy the blend of logic and philosophy with a friendly intellectual and cultural atmosphere.

ILKKA NIINILUOTO
Chair of the Local Organizing Committee

Congress deadlines