Hempel and the Vienna Circle

Abstract I first met Hempel when I was an undergraduate at Queens College. Hempel had taught there in the years 1940–48, as his first regular position at an American University, and he had now returned (I believe it was in the academic year 1967–68) for a period of two weeks as a Distinguished Visitor. I had just become seriously interested in the philosophy of science, and I vividly remember the sense of profound excitement I felt while attending the variety of talks, seminars, and discussions Hempel held during this visit. His clarity and acuity of mind, wideranging knowledge and interests, and singular kindness and enthusiasm were exhilarating, and I resolved then and there to apply for graduate study at Princeton, where Hempel taught from 1955 until 1975. I attended Princeton in the years 1969-72 and took several inspiring seminars from Hempel. I remember one, in particular, when Hempel was working out his ideas on the problem of “provisoes,” where we in attendance were simply enthralled by the experience of witnessing a major philosopher fundamentally change his mind, and in the most open and relaxed way imaginable, about a central question of philosophical methodology that had essentially shaped much of his previous work. This experience left an indelible stamp on my own attitudes toward the subject.