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Bas van Fraassen is an American Philosopher who has often been referred to as a philosopher’s philosopher. He believes that science should concentrate more on the things that we can directly observe than then things we cannot. Often described as an anti-release, Fraassen describes himself as a “constructive empiricist” with the belief that science is not here to explain spirituality. -
Bas van Fraassen was born in 1941 in the Netherlands. -
In 1963 Fraassen graduated from the University of Alberta with a degree in philosophy with honors. -
Bas van Fraassen finished his PhD in 1966, earning it from the University of Pittsburgh. -
In 1980 his book “The Scientific Image” was released. This was where he formulated his thoughts on “constructive empiricism.” -
Bas van Fraassen has taught at many schools, and he has been a professor of philosopher at the University of Southern California since 1982. Here is a tour of the philosophy program at USC - https://youtu.be/-1bhCkiZ5Hw -
In 1989 he released his book “Laws and Symmetry.” -
Bas van Fraassen sat down for an interview with the YouTube channel “Closer to the Truth.” There he talked in more detail about how religion should not be a subject of scientific inquiry. He views religion as perception and interpretation of certain emotions. In the clip below you can see a snippet of this interview.
https://youtu.be/rThBDxMgNRk