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15-16 September 2008, E. W. Beth Centenary Conference

Date: 15-16 September 2008
Location: Trippenhuis, Royal Academy, Kloveniersburgwal 29, Amsterdam
Costs: Free, registration required

Centenary Conference and Public Event

THE WORK AND LIFE OF EVERT WILLEM BETH

September 15-17, 2008

Motto: 'My philosophical endeavor is directed to help create the conditions for a rational reflection on the most diverse domains of human activity' (E. W. Beth)

Evert Willem Beth (1908-1964) was the founding father of scientific philosophy in the Netherlands, as well as the founder of institutionalized logic in Amsterdam.

The E. W. Beth Foundation in Amsterdam (http://www.knaw.nl/beth/), created in 1978 following the last will and testament of Ms. Beth-Pastoor, is dedicated to preserving Beth's legacy. It does so by a variety of activities, including the sponsoring of conference grants, public lectures, student scholarships, and the FoLLI Beth dissertation prize. The current Board of the Foundation consists of

- Johan van Benthem (Universiteit van Amsterdam and Stanford University)
- Joop Doorman (em. Technische Universiteit Delft)
- Bas van Fraassen (Princeton University)
- Gerhard Heinzmann (Université Nancy 2)
- Theo Kuipers (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)
- Hans Rott (Universität Regensburg)
- Henk Visser (em. Universiteit van Maastricht)

We are now celebrating Beth's hundredth birthday with two events:

September 15 and 16, E. W. Beth Centenary Conference,
Trippenhuis, Royal Academy, Kloveniersburgwal 29, Amsterdam.

September 17, Symposium on Beth's Life and Influence,
Doelenzaal, University of Amsterdam, Singel 425, Amsterdam.

The program below shows the international cast of speakers at both events, including people who have known Beth and worked with him. The Symposium will include personal memories, as well as the presentation of a booklet with impressions and recollections.

All are welcome, including professionals, students, and the general public!

Attendance at both events is free, but we do ask you to register for one or both events at http://www.knaw.nl/. For all questions, please contact
Ms. Pauline Mol, KNAW, 00 31 20 5510702, or Prof. Henk Visser, 00 31 23 5276613,

E. W. Beth Centenary Conference - programme September 15, 2008
9.15 hrs Registration
9.45 - 10.00 hrs Introduction by Henk Visser (President E. W. Beth Foundation)
Part 1a foundations and philosophy of mathematics
Chair: Gerhard Heinzmann (E. W. Beth Foundation)
10.00 - 11.00 hrs Dana Scott (em. Carnegy Mellon University)
11.00 - 11.15 hrs Coffee break
11.15 - 12.15 hrs Albert Visser (Utrecht University)
12.15 - 14.00 hrs Lunch break
Part 1b philosophy and history of science
Chair: Theo Kuipers (E. W. Beth Foundation)
14.00 - 15.00 hrs Dennis Dieks (Utrecht University)
15.00 - 16.00 hrs Gerhard Schurz (Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf)
16.00 - 16.15 hrs Tea break
16.15 - 17.00 hrs Forum discussion: new perspectives today
17.00 - 18.00 hrs Reception
September 16, 2008
09.30 hrs Arrival with coffee
Part 2a pure and applied logic
Chair: Johan van Benthem (E. W. Beth Foundation)
10.00 - 11.00 hrs Rohit Parikh (CUNY New York)
11.00 - 12.00 hrs Dov Gabbay (King's College London)
12.00 - 14.00 hrs Lunch break
Part 2b scientific philosophy
Chair: Hans Rott (E. W. Beth Foundation)
14.00 - 15.00 hrs Stephan Hartmann (Tilburg University)
15.00 - 16.00 hrs Hannes Leitgeb (Bristol University)
16.00 - 16.15 hrs Tea break
16.00 - 16.30 hrs Afterword by Bas van Fraassen (E. W. Beth Foundation)
16.30 hrs Closing
E. W. Beth Symposium - programme September 17, 2008
13.00 hrs Arrival
Chair: Johan van Benthem
13.15 - 14.30 hrs Reflections on Beth and his time, including personal memories
Speakers: Bas van Fraassen (Princeton), Hans Kamp (Austin and Stuttgart) Pieter Seuren (em. Nijmegen)
14.45 - 16.00 hrs Contemporary themes related to Beth's interests: samples from mathematical logic, physics, linguistics information sciences,and 'scientific philosophy'
Speakers: Barteld Kooi, Katrin Schulz, Sonja Smets
16.00 hrs Presentation of Beth Brochure
16.15 - 17.00 hrs Open discussion session with the audience
17.00 - 18.00 hrs Reception

Please note that this newsitem has been archived, and may contain outdated information or links.