Nicholas Rescher

Nicholas Rescher
Born(1928-07-15)15 July 1928
Hagen, Westphalia, Prussia, Germany
Died5 January 2024(2024-01-05) (aged 95)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityUnited States
Alma materQueens College (CUNY)
Princeton University
EraContemporary philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
SchoolAnalytic
Process philosophy
Methodological pragmatism
Pragmatic idealism
Epistemic coherentism[1]
Coherence theory of truth[2]
InstitutionsUniversity of Pittsburgh
ThesisLeibniz' cosmology: a reinterpretation of the philosophy of Leibniz in the light of his physical theories (1951)
Doctoral advisorAlonzo Church, Ledger Wood
Doctoral studentsAlexander Pruss
Ernest Sosa
Main interests
Philosophy of subjectivity, history of philosophy, epistemology, value theory
Notable ideas
Philosophical theory of everything, axiogenesis
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Nicholas Rescher (/ˈrɛʃər/; German: [ˈʁɛʃɐ]; 15 July 1928 – 5 January 2024) was a German-born American philosopher, polymath, and author, who was a professor of philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh from 1961. He was chairman of the Center for Philosophy of Science and chairman of the philosophy department.[3]

Rescher served as president of the American Catholic Philosophical Association, Leibniz Society of North America, American Metaphysical Society, American Philosophical Association, and Charles S. Peirce Society.[4] He was the founder of American Philosophical Quarterly,[5] History of Philosophy Quarterly, and Public Affairs Quarterly.[6] He died in Pittsburgh on January 5, 2024, at the age of 95.[7]

  1. ^ Coherentist Theories of Epistemic Justification (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
  2. ^ The Coherence Theory of Truth (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pitt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Marsonet was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Sosa & Cohen 1979, p. ix
  6. ^ John Kekes (1995). "Nicholas Rescher, The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, p. 771.
  7. ^ "Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy—Dr. Nicholas Rescher". The Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh. 5 January 2024.