IUHPST/DLMPST

INTERNATIONAL UNION OF HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DIVISION OF LOGIC, METHODOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Statutes of the Division of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science and Technology of the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (2023)

(Adopted by the General Assembly of IUHPS/DLMPS; Moscow, August 18, 1987; Article 25 amended by General Assembly of IUHPS/DLMPS, Florence, Italy, August 23, 1995; Articles 9, 13 and 19 amended and new Articles 20 and 21 introduced, raising by 2 the numbering of subsequent articles, by General Assembly of IUHPS/DLMPS, Nancy, France, July 24, 2011 [2011 version]; amendments in Articles 1, 2, 5, 12, and 21 by General Assembly of IUHPS/DLMPS, Helsinki, Finland, August 6, 2015; amendments in Articles 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, and 29 and deletion of Article 30 by General Assembly of DLMPST/IUHPST, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 27 July 2023.)

I. OBJECTIVES

ARTICLE 1

The objectives of the Division of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science and Technology of the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, hereinafter designated as the Division, are:

  1. to promote contacts among logicians, philosophers of science and Technology and scientists interested in the foundational problems of their disciplines, and among institutions dedicated to logic, methodology, and philosophy of science and technology;
  2. to encourage and sustain research and study of important problems in logic, methodology, and philosophy of science and technology;
  3. to collect documents useful for the development of logic, methodology and philosophy of science and technology;
  4. to organize, sponsor, and support international meetings of logic, methodology and philosophy of science and technology (International Congresses and Symposia), and to publish reports, Conference Proceedings, and other works related to such meetings;
  5. to support the endeavours of teaching logic and philosophy of science and technology at all levels of education and creating awareness and appreciation of logic and philosophy of science and technology in the general public by outreach activities.

ARTICLE 2

The Division is affiliated, through the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, to the International Science Council (ISCS) for the purpose of achieving its scientific and scholarly objectives and furthering international understanding and cooperation in its field.

II. MEMBERSHIP

ARTICLE 3

The Division comprises two kinds of members:

  1. Ordinary Members,
  2. International Members.

ARTICLE 4

(1) An Ordinary Member shall be an Academy of Sciences, sci­entific society, national committee or other scientific institution or association of such institutions recognized by the General Assembly of the Division or by a majority of its members. Institutions and committees representing scientific activities in a definite territory or country may be accepted as Ordinary Members, but no country may be represented by more than one Ordinary Member except where the General Assembly decides otherwise.

(2) Any country may become and remain affiliated to the Division in the way indicated in Article 4, provided that it observes the require­ments of the present Statutes. Each Ordinary Member of the Division creates a Committee for Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science and Technology which advises the member organization in matters concerning the Divi­sion. The Committee shall communicate to the Secretary General of the Division the name of its Chair or Secretary.

ARTICLE 5

An International Member shall be an international body or international scientific organisation; it may become and remain affiliated to the Division provided that it observes the requirements of the present Statutes.

ARTICLE 6

(1) The application for either Ordinary or International membership in the Division is made to the Executive Committee which decides whether to accept the applicant as Candidate Member. Candidate members do not have to pay any dues and have no voting rights, but are otherwise treated like members. The Executive Committee recommends to the General Assembly to accept the Candidate member as a member.

(2) The General Assembly shall accept or reject the application.

(3) The Ordinary Members are classified in five membership categories, A, B, C, D, and E, the International Members are classified in four membership categories, 0, A, B, and C with the corresponding voting powers and annual subscriptions (specified in Articles 10 and 23). The organization which seeks membership in the Division must specify the category which it proposes for its classification. The proposal may be rejected by the members of the Division if it is judged to be manifestly inappropriate. An Ordinary Member may change its classification with the approval of the members of the Division upon recommendation of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE 7

(1) Membership status may be terminated:

  1. by a letter of resignation,
  2. by exclusion; this must be carried by a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast at the General Assembly on a motion of the Executive Committee and for the following reasons:
    1. non-payment of subscriptions for three consecutive years;
    2. absence of scientific activity;
    3. for serious reasons prejudicial to the interests of the Division.

 

(2) The proposal for exclusion may be carried only after inclusion in the agenda of the General Assembly and notification to the member in question at least four months before the General Assembly, and after the General Assembly has heard the explanation of the member, or the member has signified its incapacity by failing to respond to a registered letter mailed at least four months previously.

III. ADMINISTRATION AND VOTING RIGHTS

ARTICLE 8

The administrative authority of the Division is exercised by:

  1. the General Assembly;
  2. the Council;
  3. the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE 9

The General Assembly consists of the delegates of the Ordi­nary and International Members and delegates of the Division's Commissions, including Inter-Division and Inter-Union Commissions.

ARTICLE 10

(1) The Ordinary and International Members of the Division are classified in six categories, 0, A, B, C, D and E. Ordinary Members cannot be in category 0, International Members cannot be in categories D or E. At the General Assembly, the number of votes accorded to the delegates of each Member depends on its category as follows:

Category 0 A B C D E
Ordinary Member x 1 2 3 4 5
International Member 1 2 4 6 x x

(2) Voting by the General Assembly shall be by delegations, but each delegation may cast its votes either as a unit or divided in a way determined by the delegation. In voting by correspondence, each member casts its vote as a unit, counted as many times as its category indicates.

ARTICLE 11

(1) Except where specified to the contrary in the Statutes, the decisions of the General Assembly are taken by a majority of votes recorded. If the number of votes cast for and against a proposal are equal, the President may use a casting vote in addition to any vote which she or he may have as a member of a delegation. Specially stipulated majorities are calculated as proportions of the number of votes recorded.

(2) Members of the Council attend sessions of the General Assembly and take part in the discussions but their status as members of the Council gives them no voting right.

(3) Delegates are allowed to participate and exercise their voting rights by electronic means of communication, provided that

  1. this has been announced when the General Assembly was convened;
  2. the arrangements for the use of electronic means of communication were announced when the General Assembly was convened;
  3. all delegates can be identified by all participants of the General Assembly during the entire meeting;
  4. all delegates can observe the discussions at the meeting; and
  5. all delegates can fully participate in the deliberations during the meeting.

 

ARTICLE 12

The Ordinary General Assembly is convened at least every fourth year by the President in office, normally during an International Congress of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science and Technology. At the request of a majority of the Ordinary Members or a majority of the Executive Committee, the President shall within six months convene an Extraordinary General Assembly.

ARTICLE 13

(1) The ordinary General Assembly of the Division has the fol­lowing responsibilities:

  1. electing the members of the Council and of the Executive Committee;
  2. appointing the delegates charged with representing the Division within other international bodies;
  3. establishing or dissolving the Commissions of the Division, including Inter-Division or Inter-Union Commissions;
  4. accepting new members in the Division. These must have sent their request for affiliation at least six weeks before the date of the meeting of the General Assembly;
  5. determining the international or representative character of a group or an organization;
  6. receiving and considering reports from the Executive Committee and from the Commissions;
  7. establishing the programme of activities of the Division for the four years following the General Assembly;
  8. fixing the dates and places of the meetings of the next congress;
  9. establishing plans for the budget of the Division and determining the level of the unit of subscription of Ordinary Members as well as the subscriptions of international bodies belonging to the Division;
  10. approving the accounts of the Division.

(2) The General Assembly may create scientific commissions and committees for the Division.

(3) The General Assembly may delegate to the Council or the Executive Committee a part of its powers for a period not exceeding four years.

ARTICLE 14

The summonses to each General Assembly with the complete agenda must be sent by the Secretary General to all Ordinary and International Members at least four months before the date of the meeting. Any question not appearing on the agenda may not be considered except with the prior assent of two-thirds of the votes cast, or, in the case of a proposal to modify the Statutes of the Union or the Division, of three-quarters of the votes cast.

ARTICLE 15

(1) The General Assembly is validly constituted only if delegates possessing at least half of the valid voting power are present.

(2) Any Ordinary or International Member may be represent­ed by proxy, provided that due notification of this intention and the name of the delegate are communicated in writing to the Secretary General before the General Assembly.

(3) Delegates participating and exercising their voting rights by electronic means of communication as described in Article 11 (3) are considered present for the purposes of Article 15 (1).

ARTICLE 16

The Council consists of the six members of the Executive Committee and at least six assessors.

ARTICLE 17

(1) The Executive Committee consists of the President, the First Vice-President, the Second Vice-President, the Secretary General, the Treasurer, and the (immediate) Past President of the Division.

(2) The members of the Executive Committee and the Council are elected at a General Assembly to serve in office for a period of four years. They are not eligible for immediate re-election to the same office with the exception of the Secretary General and the Treasurer.

(3) In the event that the President of the Division is unable to exercise their functions they are automatically replaced by the First Vice-President, in which case the Second Vice-President acquires the status of the First Vice-President. In the event that the Secretary General or the Treasurer cannot exercise his functions, the President will nominate a person to replace them in their functions and as member of the Council and of the Executive Committee, subject to confirmation of two-thirds of the Council (excluding the member nominated).

ARTICLE 18

(1) The Council can establish the rules of procedure for the nominations, elections, and administrative procedures of the Division in conformity with these Statutes. The rules can take effect immediately, but must be ratified by the next General Assembly.

(2) The Council is also responsible for ensuring the continuity of the Division's policies and activities in the four-year interval between successive ordinary meetings of the General Assembly.

ARTICLE 19

The Executive Committee is charged with the administration of the Division's business and finance, and with the implementation of the resolutions taken by the General Assembly and the policies of the Council. It is responsible for approving the payment of subsidies to these Commissions. Three members of the Committee, other than the Past President, constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE 20

The Commissions of the Division shall have full freedom in arranging their own internal structure and work within the framework of the Statutes of the Division. If special funds are provided for their use, they may make their own financial arrangements, subject to the approal of the Executive Committee. Each Commission will be entitled to one delegate and one vote at General Assemblies.

ARTICLE 21

The Inter-Division Commissions of the Division include the DHST-DLMPST Joint Commission. The main responsibility of the DHST-DLMPST Joint Commission is to explore research fields of interest both to historians of science and technology, and to logicians and philosophers of science and technology, by means of Joint Conferences and/or symposia. The members of the Joint Commission are the Chair of the Joint Commission, together with each Division's President and Secretary General who serve as ex officio members together with additional members, co-opted by the Joint Commission for a fixed period of time. The Chair of the Joint Commission holds office for two years, and is appointed alternately by the DHST and the DLMPST. The Chair of the Joint Commission appointed by a Division takes up office at the beginning of the calendar year before the international congress of that Division.

IV. FINANCE

ARTICLE 22

The revenues of the Division are made up from:

  1. subscriptions by Ordinary Members and international organizations;
  2. subventions, gifts and legacies, subject to approval by the Executive Committee;
  3. the sale of publications.

ARTICLE 23

(1) Each Ordinary Member pays the Division an annual sub­scription which depends on its category as follows:

Category 0 A B C D E
Number of subscription units ½ 1 2 4 8 16

(2) The level of the unit of subscription is determined by the General Assembly.

ARTICLE 24

Each Ordinary Member is responsible for the payment of the required subscription. If it has not done so for two years preceding the year of the General Assembly, it will not be permitted to vote in that Assembly.

V. GENERAL REMARKS

ARTICLE 25

The official domicile of the Division is Montpellier, France.

ARTICLE 26

These Statutes may only be amended by the General Assembly, with the provision that the total number of votes in favour of the change proposed is equal to at least two-thirds of the number of votes cast.

ARTICLE 27

Proposals formulated by a member for amendment of the Statutes of the Union or the Division must be sent to the Secretary General at least five months before the date of the General Assembly at which they will be considered. The Secretary General must bring to the knowledge of all Ordinary and International Members at least four months before the General Assembly, any proposal of this nature that she or he has received.

ARTICLE 28

(1) The life of the Division may be terminated only by an Extraordinary General Assembly and with the approval of at least two-thirds of the total number of votes assigned to the Ordinary and International Members and Commissions.

In the event of dissolution the assets of the Division shall be trans­ferred to an international organization having activities similar to those of the Division.

ARTICLE 29

Any Ordinary or International Member which leaves the Division automatically forfeits all rights and privileges of membership.