17 September 2008, Symposium on Beth's Life and Influence

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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, pauline.mol at bureau.knaw.nl or Prof. Henk Visser, 00 31 23 5276613, h.visser at micc.unimaas.nl

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