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Ian Hacking was a Canadian Philosopher widely known for his modern thinking on "game-changing contributions to the philosophies of science, probability and mathematics, as well as for his insights on issues like race and mental health" (New York Times, 2023).
He was born on February 18th, 1936 in Vancouver. -
As Hacking grew up, he became very academically successful and moved on to become a philosophy professor at multiple universities. In addition, he was the first anglophone (English speaking) to be elected as a permanent chair in history for the College de France. He ended his teaching career in 2011.
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Hacking helped bring experimentation to the center stage in his teachings. "He argued that science was just as much about intervention as it was about representation" (New York Times, 2023). He was influenced by people such as Kuhn, Lakatos, and Feyerabend. He believed in realism (more specifically 'entity realism') and focused a lot of his later works on identifying probability with the mathematics of randomness.
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One of the most notable contributions Hacking provided, was that of his work in humanities, social science, law and theology. He published many books that ranged in information and research from electrons to multiple personality disorder. In 2009, his efforts were awarded with the Holberg International Memorial Prize, a Norwegian award for scholarly work.
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Hacking was married three times, his first two, ending in divorce. His third marriage to Judith Baker lasted until she died in 2014. He had two daughters, one son, and one step son.
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Williams, A. (2023). Ian Hacking, eminent philosopher of science and much else, dies at 87. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/28/science/ian-hacking-dead.html#:~:text=Ian%20Hacking%2C%20a%20Canadian%20philosopher,a%20retirement%20home%20in%20Toronto. (2023). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Hacking (N.d.). Retrieved from https://www.informationphilosopher.com/solutions/philosophers/hacking/
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(2023a). Retrieved from https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/life-contributions-philosopher-ian-hacking-death-8637251/ (2023a). Retrieved from https://philosophy.utoronto.ca/news/in-memoriam-ian-hacking-1936-2023/
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Hacking's work in mental health, poverty, and race was a welcome and fascinating take. He contributed a variety of books that helped progress the way others reflected on terms, diagnoses, and the reality of transient mental illnesses. At the age of 87, Hacking passed away from heart failure. His death left a gaping hole in not only his loved ones, but the scientific community.