Department of History and Philosophy of Science

History of science without philosophy of science is blind, and philosophy of science without history of science is empty.— Norwood Russell Hanson (paraphrasing Immanuel Kant)

The Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana University was founded in 1960 by the late N. R. Hanson. HPS is perhaps best described as a discipline devoted to using a wide variety of historical and philosophical approaches to understand one of the most important conceptual and cultural enterprises of the modern world—science.

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Studies take many different forms, all with the common aim of understanding how science works. Some analyze the general structure of scientific theory and practice, others examine crucial people and foundational issues for specific sciences. Many employ a combination of these and other approaches. Some concentrate on abstract ideas, others on experiments, still others on the institutional setting of science—universities, laboratories, government agencies—or the interaction between science and technology, religion, or social movements. The historical topics can include science, technology, and medicine in any time or place.

We also encourage students to take advantage of exciting opportunities for interdisciplinary work on the Bloomington campus. In addition to the strengths of the department, Indiana University boasts strong research resources, such as the Lilly Library of rare books, as well as many active scholars in other departments working in such areas as the history of medicine, logic, cognitive science, ancient musicology, history and philosophy of mathematics, sociology, library science, journalism, and medieval studies. HPS enjoys formal and/or informal connections with most of these people and departments.