Warren Schmaus

Warren Schmaus is Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Humanities at IIT, where he teaches courses in philosophy of science, history of philosophy, philosophy of mind, and introductory humanities. His major research interest is in the history of philosophy of science, with a special focus on nineteenth and early twentieth century France. Most recently, he has published a research monograph Charles Renouvier’s philosophy of science, titled Liberty and the Pursuit of Knowledge (Pittsburgh, 2018), and co-edited a volume on the philosophy of Auguste Comte, titled Love, Order, and Progress (Pittsburgh, 2018).  Both books concern philosophers who drew on their engineering education in formulating philosophies of science that were intimately connected with their political philosophies. Warren Schmaus is past president of HOPOS: The International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science.

Education

Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, History and Philosophy of Science (1980)
M.A., University of Pittsburgh, History and Philosophy of Science (1975)
B.A., Princeton University, Biochemical Sciences (1974)

Research Interests

Philosophy of science

History of philosophy of science in 19th and early 20th century France

History and philosophy of the social sciences

Science and Values

Philosophy of Mind and Psychology

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

HOPOS: The International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science

Lifetime Fellow of the Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh

Publications

From Positivism to Conventionalism: Comte, Renouvier, and Poincaré. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A, vol. 80 (April 2020), 102-109. Published on-line June 20, 2019: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2019.06.003

(Review) “Lee McIntyre, The Scientific Attitude: Defending Science from Denial, Fraud, and Pseudoscience.” Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. Published on-line January 15, 2020: https://ndpr.nd.edu/news/the-scientific-attitude-defending-science-from-denial-fraud-and-pseudoscience/

From Positivism to Conventionalism: Comte, Renouvier, and Poincaré. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A. Published on-line June 20, 2019: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2019.06.003

Poincaré and Renouvier on Conventions: Or, How Science is like Politics, HOPOS: The Journal of the International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science. 7 (2), (2017): 182-198.

Political Philosophy of Science in Nineteenth-Century France: From Comte’s Positivism to Renouvier’s Conventionalism.  In U. Feest, J. Sullivan, M. Adams, and Z. Biener, eds.  Eppur si muove: Doing History and Philosophy of Science with Peter Machamer.  Western Ontario Series in the Philosophy of Science. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2017. Pp. 97-111.

Science and the Social Contract in Renouvier. HOPOS: The Journal of the International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science 1,1(2011): 73-100.

Durkheim, Jamesian Pragmatism, and the Normativity of Truth. History of the Human Sciences 23,5 (2010): 1-16.

Durkheim and Psychology. In Religion, Economy, and Cooperation, Ilkka Pyysiainen, editor. Berlin: Mouton DeGruyter, 2010. Pp. 99-126.

Durkheim, o pragmatismo jamesiano e a normatividade daverdade. Translated into Portuguese by Alexandre Massella. In Durkheim: 150 Anos, Alexandre Massella et al., editors. Belo Horizonte, Brazil: Argumentum, 2009. Pp. 191-207.

Projects

Co-editing a special issue of the journal HOPOS titled Nineteenth Century French Philosophy of Science: Positivism and its Continuations.

Investigating the history of the idea of scientific conventions in the philosophies of Antoine Augustin Cournot, Charles Renouvier, Henri Poincaré, and others.

Books

Liberty and the Pursuit of Knowledge: Charles Renouvier’s Political Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018.

Love, Order, and Progress: The Science, Philosophy, & Politics of Auguste Comte.  Co-edited with Michel Bourdeau and Mary Pickering. University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018.

Rethinking Durkheim and His Tradition, Cambridge University Press, 2004.

Durkheim's Philosophy of Science and the Sociology of Knowledge, University of Chicago Press, 1994.

Emile Durkheim: Critical Assessments. Third series, vol. II. Co-edited with W.S.F. Pickering. London: Routledge, 2001.

Editorial Boards

Member of the editorial board for HOPOS: The Journal of the International Society for the History of the Philosophy of Science.