Howard Stein (1929-2024)

Howard Stein, professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Chicago, has died.

Professor Stein was well-known for his work in philosophy of physics, the history of physics and mathematics, and the history of philosophy. You can browse some of his writings here and learn more about his work here, but as Eric Schliesser notes in an obituary of Stein well-worth reading, “Because of his high standards, Howard didn’t publish much. And some of his best work has never appeared in print, and it often circulated as lectures or mimeographs.”

Schliesser writes:

In general philosophy of science, Howard is treated as one of the founders (or inspirations) of so-called (‘ontic’) ‘structural realism.’ …  In a rather profound polemic with McDowell (here), Stein articulated his understanding of “philosophy as allied with the sciences in searching for the best understanding-and-knowledge of the world – including ourselves.”

Professor Stein earned his PhD at the University of Chicago in 1958  and was an assistant professor there for a few years before moving on to various other institutions, including Brandeis University, Honeywell Inc., The Rockefeller University, Case Western Reserve University, and Columbia University, and then returning to Chicago as a a full professor in 1980. He earned an MS in mathematics at the University of Michigan and his BA from Columbia.

He died on March 8th.