Adolf Grünbaum,
Alec Stewart,
art school,
Arthur Schopenhauer,
atheists,
Bas van Fraassen,
Bertrand Russell,
Brahma,
Carl (“Peter”) Hempel,
Carnegie Mellon University,
Catholics,
Cologne,
depression,
Education,
Faith & Science,
Forbes Avenue,
German,
Germany,
Intelligent Design,
Jews,
Joseph Stalin,
Kristallnacht,
National Academy of Sciences,
Nazis,
Nicholas Rescher,
Notre Dame University,
Philip Quinn,
Phillip Kitcher,
Philosophy of Science,
Protestants,
Richard Feynman,
Robert Griffiths,
Sigmund Freud,
The Future of an Illusion,
Thomas Kuhn,
U.S. Army,
University of Pittsburgh,
Vishnu,
Wesleyan University,
Yale University
“Opposition is true friendship.” —William Blake (1793) Art School Dropout Becomes Wannabe Philosopher of Science In September 1980, as an art school dropout, I wandered into the University of Pittsburgh and the best philosophy of science program in the world. At the time, I had no clue about Pittsburgh’s high standing in this particular academic field. I had no clue about much of anything, actually, except that I was keenly interested in questions about the foundations of science. Pitt was local, affordable, and by some inexplicable kindness, they had admitted me. (Years earlier, to show the world how unhappy I was with my art school, I stopped attending classes there, but for inscrutable reasons, still registered and continued to make the tuition payments. Understandably, this persuaded the art school that,…