IUHPST/DLMPST

INTERNATIONAL UNION OF HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

[Bulletin No. -3]

This bulletin was published in Synthese Volume 16 No. 2 (1966) 245-252, DOI 10.1007/BF00485358.

COMMUNICATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
DIVISION OF LOGIC, METHODOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

I. MINUTES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
(Jerusalem, Israel; August 31, 1964)

The meeting was called to order by the President, G. H. von Wright, at 7: 30 p.m.

(1) Verification of delegates

The President asked the Secretary to proceed at once with the verification of delegates. The following delegates responded. (The category of each national member is indicated in parentheses.)

  • Argentina (A)—no delegate;
  • Austria (A)—no delegate;
  • Belgium (A)—J. Ruytinx;
  • Canada (A)—no delegate;
  • Chili (A)—no delegate;
  • Finland (A)—K. J. J. Hintikka,
  • France (D)—J. L. Destouches, P. Février, B. Jaulin, M. G. Reznikoff;
  • Germany (A)—P. Lorenzen;
  • Great Britain (A)—W. Kneale;
  • Hungary (A)—L. Kalmár;
  • Israel (A)—Y. Bar-Hillel;
  • Italy (B)—no delegate;
  • Japan (C)—H. Nagai, H. S. Ayyeki, H. Takeda;
  • Netherlands (C)—A. Heyting, J. F. Staal;
  • Poland (B)—R. Suszko;
  • Republic of China, Taiwan (A)—no delegate;
  • Roumania (A)—A. Joja;
  • Spain (A)—no delegate;
  • Switzerland (A)—E. Specker;
  • United States (E)—M. Black, S.C. Kleene, R. Montague, I. Schemer, A. Tarski;
  • Académie International de Philosophie des Sciences—no delegate;
  • Association for Symbolic Logic—L. J. Apostel, A. Church, A. Ehrenfeucht, D. Føllesdal, A. Heyting, K. J. J. Hintikka, A. Robinson, J. Shepherdson, H. Takeda, R. L. Vaught;
  • Institute for the Unity of Science—no delegate;
  • International Society for Significs—no delegate.

In addition, all members of the Executive Committee were present: G. H. von Wright, President; L. Kalmár, Vice President; Hans Freudenthal, Treasurer; Patrick Suppes, Secretary.

(2) Admission of new members

It was moved by Mr. Kleene that Denmark, Greece, Monaco and Sweden be accepted for membership. The motion carried, and L. Rosenfeld was seated as a delegate of Denmark and C. Politis was seated as a delegate of Greece. No delegate of Monaco or Sweden was present.

(3) Minutes of the Last General Assembly

The Minutes of the General Assembly held in Helsinki, Finland, on August 24, 1962, were approved without amendment.

(4) President's Report

The President first commented on the relations between the two Divisions of the Union. He mentioned the agreement, reached at the meeting of the Bureau in Paris in May 1964, to divide the annual subvention, allocated to the Union by ICSU, equally between the two Divisions for this year and the next. There were reasons to think, he said, that this could be made a permanent rule. He also mentioned the decision to hold a symposium with the historians in September 1964 in Florence in celebration of the four hundredth anniversary of Galileo's birth. The President then recalled the efforts which had been made to fill some gaps in the list of national members of DLMPS. He expressed his satisfaction at the fact that Denmark, Greece, Monaco and Sweden had joined the Division. He also expressed a hope that the Soviet Union which is now a member only of the Division of History of Science of IUHPS, would eventually become a member of DLMPS, too. Finally, the President asked that respect be paid to the memory of Professor Kazimierz Ajdukiewicz, former Vice President of DLMPS, who died on April 12, 1963, and to Professor Evert Willem Beth, former Treasurer of DLMPS, who died on April 12, 1964.

At the conclusion of the President's report, Mr. Tarski moved that the Executive Committee be asked to consider the Division's supporting the translation and publication of Ajdukiewicz' Habilitationsschrift. The motion carried.

(5) Secretary's Report

Mr. Suppes reported on the scientific activities of the Division since the last General Assembly on August 24, 1962. This report is given as Part II of these Communications.

(6) Treasurer's Report

Mr. Freudenthal reported on the financial affairs of the Division as of December 31, 1963. This report is given as Part III of these Communications.

(7) Determination of the unit of dues

Mr. Kleene moved that the unit of dues remain unchanged, i.e., $50 per unit. The motion carried.

(8) Determination of the categories of national members

Mr. Black moved that of the new members, Denmark, Greece and Monaco be placed in Category A and Sweden in Category B. Mr. Montague moved that Germany be placed in Category D. Mr. Kleene moved that Great Britain be placed in Category B. Mr. Kleene moved that Italy be placed in Category A. All these motions carried. As part of the discussion of these various motions regarding categories, it was made clear that the proposals being made were acceptable to the countries involved.

(9) Determination of the number of votes of international members

Mr. Bar-Hillel moved that the number of votes of international members remain unchanged. The motion carried.

(10) Annual dues of international members

Mr. Kleene moved that the dues of the International Academy, the Institute for the Unity of Science and the International Society for Significs remain unchanged, i.e., $50 per year; and that dues for the Association for Symbolic Logic be set at $800 annually. The motion carried.

(11) Delegation of budget determination to Executive Committee

Mr. Black moved that the Executive Committee be delegated to make the budget determination for the period extending to the next General Assembly. The motion carried.

(12) Election of officers and assessors

The Executive Committee recommended the following slate of officers for the three-year period, 1966-1969:

Y. Bar-Hillel, President; A. Mostowski, Vice President; A. R. Anderson, Secretary; and H. Freudenthal, Treasurer.

There were no additional nominations, and so these new officers were elected by unanimous vote.

The Executive Committee recommended the nomination of the following six persons as candidates for the four positions as assessors:

M. Black, S. Körner, D. Lacombe, G. Moisil, E. Specker, and A. Wedberg.

Following the balloting procedure established in the 1962 General Assembly, each delegate was instructed to vote for at most four of the six nominated assessors. Mr. Hintikka and Mr. Montague were appointed as tellers. The results of the first ballot were: Black 30; Körner 21 ; Lacombe 26; Moisil 15; Specker 27; and Wedberg 18. As a result of this ballot the President announced that Mr. Black, Mr. Körner, Mr. Lacombe and Mr. Specker were elected as the four assessors of the Council for the period 1966-1969, with Mr. Wedberg and Mr. Moisil as successive alternates.

(13) Recommendation by the Executive Committee on the holding of future Congresses

The General Assembly in Helsinki in 1962 passed a motion that the question of holding future Congresses be considered by the Executive Committee, and that the Executive Committee prepare a recommendation to be made to the next General Assembly. The following recommendation was circulated to the Executive Committee prior to the present General Assembly.

After discussion of the past history of the Division and consideration of its future, the Executive Committee unanimously recommends the holding of future Congresses, with intervals of approximately four years between Congresses. At the same time the Executive Committee recommends the continuation of an active program of colloquia on specialized subjects.

Mr. Kleene moved that the Executive Committee recommendation on the holding of future Congresses be accepted. The motion carried.

(14) The next General Assembly and the next Congress

The President first called for invitations to be heard for holding the next International Congress. Mr. Heyting extended the formal invitation of the Netherlands to hold the next Congress there in 1968. Mr. Black moved that the invitation of The Netherlands be accepted. The motion carried.

Mr. Tarski then moved that the Executive Committee consider for the next General Assembly the problems concerning the interval between General Assemblies and Congresses. This motion arose from discussion concerning complexities of holding the next General Assembly at the same time as the next Congress. The motion carried.

In view of Mr. Tarski's motion and a review by the General Assembly of other international meetings scheduled for 1968, the question arose of changing the year of the next Congress.

Mr. Heyting at this point moved that the General Assembly adjourn for five minutes in order for the Dutch delegation to confer on the possibility of changing the year of the next Congress. The motion for temporary adjournment was carried.

After the five-minute adjournment Mr. Heyting modified the Dutch invitation to extend it to 1967 or 1969 as well, subject to the approval of the Dutch National Committee. On the basis of Mr. Heyting's statement, Mr. Tarski moved that the date of the next Congress be reconsidered. The motion carried. Mr. Black then moved that the modified Dutch invitation be accepted, and the motion carried.

Mr. Kleene moved that the Executive Committee be empowered to make the final determination of the date of the next Congress in consultation with the Dutch National Committee, and in making this determination, should take into account the respective arguments stated in favor of three alternative years as suitable dates for the holding of the next General Assembly. The motion carried.

Mr. Montague moved that for the use of the Executive Committee the following expression of preference be recorded: first, it is desirable that the two Divisions of the Union not hold Congresses in the same year; second, 1969 is, ceteris paribus, the least desirable of the three years. Mr. Kleene then moved to strike the second clause of Mr. Montague's motion. The amendment was passed, and the amended motion then carried. Mr. Black moved that it be recorded as the opinion of this General Assembly that if the condition of the previous motion is satisfied the Congress should not be held in the same year as the International Congress of Philosophy. The motion carried. Mr. Tarski then moved that, ceteris paribus, the General Assembly express a preference for 1967 over 1969 as a date of the next Congress. Mr. Tarski's motion carried.

Mr. Kleene moved that the fixing of the date of the next General Assembly be delegated to the Executive Committee. The motion carried.

The General Assembly then turned to two resolutions submitted to the Executive Committee prior to the Congress by the United States National Committee. The first resolution read as follows: "Concurrently with each Congress of DLMPS, the General Assembly of the DLMPS/IUHPS shall endeavor to select the time and place of the next Congress. One year before each Congress the Executive Committee of the DLMPS/IUHPS shall notify each National Committee for IUHPS of the date for submitting any invitation for the succeeding Congress." Mr. Kleene moved that this resolution be adopted. The motion carried.

The second resolution submitted by the United States National Committee read as follows: "Within three months after the selection of a host country for a Congress of DLMPS, the President of the DLMPS/IUHPS, with the advice of the Executive Committee, shall appoint two persons, neither of whom resides in the host country, to serve on the Organizing Committee for the Congress. He shall communicate these appointments to the National Committee for IUHPS of the host country." Mr. Kleene also moved that this resolution be adopted, and the motion carried.

(15) Future scientific activities

The President reported on future scientific activities of the Union. He mentioned in particular the Colloquium on Galileo being held jointly with the Division of History of Science in Florence in September, 1964. He also mentioned the following. A relatively large conference is being organized for the summer of 1965 by the British Society for the Philosophy of Science. Division sponsorship of this Colloquium was already given at the General Assembly in Helsinki in 1962. The President then mentioned that, in response to a request from ICSU to the Union, a symposium with participants from both Divisions is planned for 1965 in Warsaw in connection with the XIth International Congress of the History of Science. The symposium will be concerned with the role of the history of the development of science in the present planning of scientific research. Members of the Division of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science have been cordially invited to participate.

The President also noted that there is a possibility of a symposium in Roumania in 1965 on natural deduction; a colloquium in Hungary in 1966 on recursive functions; a colloquium in Germany in 1966 on the Gentzen calculus. Mr. Destouches also proposed tentatively that a colloquium be held in Paris in 1966 on non-numerical problems of automata. In connection with the discussion of Mr. Destouches' Paris colloquium, Mr. Tarski observed that if the next General Assembly is to be held in 1967 then a large colloquium covering several topics and not one on a specialized topic should be held in that year, if the next Congress is not held in 1967. Mr. Destouches agreed, and there was informal agreement to this effect at the meeting.

(16) Other business

The President announced that he had appointed as a Committee on the teaching of logic and philosophy of science, Mr. Kalmár, Mr. Lorenzen and Mr. Suppes, with Mr. Kalmár serving as chairman. The appointment of this Committee was partly in response to a request from the Inter-Union Commission on the Teaching of Science. Mr. Destouches observed that the Committee might help in several countries in promoting the teaching of logic and philosophy of science. Mr. Bar-Hillel moved that the General Assembly express its satisfaction at the formation of this Committee. The motion carried.

Mr. Kleene moved that a resolution be passed expressing appreciation to the Israeli Organizing Committee for the excellent organization of the Congress. The motion carried unanimously.

Mr. Scheffler moved that the General Assembly stand adjourned. The motion carried.

II. REPORT ON THE SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES OF THE DIVISION from September 1962 to August 1964

A. International Scientific Meetings organized on behalf of the Division:

  1. Colloquium on Calculus, Prediction, Reality, University of Paris, Paris, France, May 1963. Organizer: Jean-Louis Destouches.
  2. Symposium on the Theory of Models, University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S.A., June and July 1963. Organizers: Leon Henkin, Dana Scott and Alfred Tarski. The Proceedings of the symposium will be published by the North-Holland Publishing Company in its series Studies in Logic.
  3. Symposium on Recursive Functions, Oxford University, Oxford, England, July 1963. Organizers: John Crossley and Michael Dummett.
  4. Colloquium in memory of E. W. Beth, University of Paris, Paris, France, May 1964. Organizer: Jean-Louis Destouches.
  5. Symposium on Axiomatic Set Theory, University of Bristol, Bristol, England, July 1964. Organizer: John C. Shepherdson.
  6. International Congress for Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel. The second Congress of the present Division was held from August 26 to September 2, 1964, and the Proceedings of the Congress will be published by the North-Holland Publishing Company in its series Studies in Logic. The Organizing Committee of the Congress consisted of the following members: Saul Adler, A. A. Fraenkel, Louis Gutman, Haim Hanani, Aharon Katzir, Max Jammer, Azriel Lévy, E. J. J. Poznanski, Michael O. Rabin, Samuel Sambursky, Yehoshua Bar-Hillel (Secretary).

B. Publications supported by the Division:

  1. Journal of Symbolic Logic.
  2. Proceedings of a Colloquium on Modal and Many-Valued Logics, Helsinki, 23-26 August, 1962, published by Societas Philosophica Fennica, Helsinki, 1963.

Added in proof: The volumes referred to under III and VI have appeared since these minutes were written; both are published by The North-Holland Publishing Company: Formal systems and recursive functions (ed. by J. N. Crossley and M.E.A. Dummett), 1965; Logic, methodology and philosophy of science (ed. by Yehoshua Bar-Hillel), 1965.