Raimo Tuomela
Encyclopedia
Raimo Tuomela is a Finnish
philosopher. Tuomela received his first degree of doctor of philosophy
in 1968 from the University of Helsinki
) and the second one in 1969 from Stanford University
. Tuomela has been full professor
of philosophy
(especially methodology and philosophy of the social sciences
) at the Department of Philosophy, University of Helsinki
since 1971.
Having earlier worked and published in many fields of philosophy, especially philosophy of science
and philosophy of action, the theory of social action has been his main research interest.
Tuomela has received several grants and awards, including the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Research Award (Forschungspreis), awarded in recognition of achievements in research.
During the five-year period 1995–2000, Tuomela was Academy Professor at the Academy of Finland
. This research professorship also included a research group working within the general field of the philosophy of social action.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
philosopher. Tuomela received his first degree of doctor of philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1968 from the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
) and the second one in 1969 from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. Tuomela has been full professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
(especially methodology and philosophy of the social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
) at the Department of Philosophy, University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
since 1971.
Having earlier worked and published in many fields of philosophy, especially philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
and philosophy of action, the theory of social action has been his main research interest.
Tuomela has received several grants and awards, including the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is a foundation set-up by the government of the Federal Republic and funded by the German Foreign Office, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and others for the promotion of international co-operation...
Research Award (Forschungspreis), awarded in recognition of achievements in research.
During the five-year period 1995–2000, Tuomela was Academy Professor at the Academy of Finland
Academy of Finland
The Academy of Finland is a governmental funding body for scientific research in Finland. It is based in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. Yearly, the Academy administers over 260 million euros to Finnish research activities. Over 5,000 researchers are working on the projects supported by the academy...
. This research professorship also included a research group working within the general field of the philosophy of social action.
Books in English
- Theoretical Concepts. Library of Exact Philosophy 10, Springer-Verlag, Wien and New York, 1973, 254 pp.
- Theoretical Concepts and Hypothetico-Inductive Inference (together with Ilkka NiiniluotoIlkka NiiniluotoIlkka Maunu Olavi Niiniluoto is a Finnish philosopher and mathematician, serving as a professor of philosophy at the University of Helsinki since 1981. He is currently on leave from his position, having been appointed as rector of the University of Helsinki on August 1, 2003 for a five-year period...
). Synthese Library, D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht and Boston, 1973, 262 pp. - Human Action and Its Explanation: A Study on the Philosophical Foundations of Psychology. Synthese Library, D. Reidel Publishing Co., Dordrecht and Boston, 1977, 426 pp.
- A Theory of Social Action. D. ReidelD. ReidelD. Reidel was an academic publishing company based in Dordrecht. It joined with Kluwer in the 1990s as Kluwer/Reidel, together being purchased by Cinven and Candover in 2003. Cinven and Candover also purchased Springer, merging the operations of all the publishers into one conglomerate, Springer...
Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Boston, and Lancaster, 1984, 534 pp. - Science, Action, and Reality. D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Boston, and Lancaster, 1985, 274 pp.
- The Importance of Us: A Philosophical Study of Basic Social Notions. Stanford Series in Philosophy, Stanford University Press, Stanford, Calif., 1995, 470 pp.
- Cooperation: A Philosophical Study, Philosophical Studies Series, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000, 431 pp.
- The Philosophy of Social Practices: A Collective Acceptance View, Cambridge University Press, 2002, 274 pp.
- The Philosophy of Sociality, Oxford University Press, 2007, 318 pp.
Books in Finnish
- Tiede, toiminta ja todellisuus. Tieteellisen maailmankäsityksen filosofiset perusteet, Gaudeamus, Jyväskylä, 1983.