Research Colloquium | Pietro Gori | Mary B. Hesse’s Contribution to the History and Philosophy of Science

Date: Monday, January 26, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Location: TP8.1.46, Technologiepark 8, University of Paderborn

The Center for the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists is pleased to announce the next session of its regular Research Colloquium, featuring Dr. Pietro Gori (NOVA University Lisbon). In his talk, he will present his recent edited volume Mary B. Hesse (1924–2016): Metaphors, Models, and the Growth of Scientific Knowledge (Springer Nature Switzerland, 2025), which is published as part of our Springer book series Women in the History of Philosophy and Sciences.

Abstract:

This volume explores the work of Mary B. Hesse (1924–2016), a pivotal figure in twentieth-century philosophy of science. At a time when the foundations of an integrated approach to the history and philosophy of science were being established, Hesse, as a female philosopher, offered a distinctive and influential contribution grounded in a post-empiricist understanding of the natural sciences. Central to her thought was a focus on the metaphorical and analogical value of scientific language, in contrast to views assessing its literal significance. Hesse also departed from traditional hypothetico-deductive accounts of scientific methodology and theory structure, advancing instead perspectives rooted in both historical and contemporary scientific practices.
To mark the centenary of her birth, this book brings together an international group of scholars to re-examine and engage with Hesse’s intellectual legacy. The chapters address the central themes of her work and situate them within her broader philosophical context. Each contribution adopts a cross-disciplinary perspective, highlighting the continued relevance of Hesse’s ideas to current debates in the philosophy of science.
This volume will be of particular interest to scholars in the history and philosophy of science, as well as those engaged in gender studies and the study of women in philosophy.

About the Editor:

Dr. Pietro Gori is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at NOVA University Lisbon, where he is in charge of the chairs in Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Knowledge. Integrated member of the NOVA Institute of Philosophy since 2012, he is also the coordinator of the “Lisbon Nietzsche Group” at IFILNOVA. The main areas of his academic activity are Modern and Contemporary Western Philosophy, History and Philosophy of Science, Epistemology, and Philosophical Anthropology. In this context, Gori has particularly devoted his research to representatives of an anti-foundationalist shift in philosophy, with a specific interest in the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, William James, and Ernst Mach. Since 2021, his research has also been centered on the work of the British philosopher of science Mary B. Hesse and her post-empiricist approach.

Everybody is welcome to attend!