William Walker Tait, renowned UChicago philosopher of mathematics, 1929‒2024

William Walker Tait, professor in the Philosophy Department at UChicago

Prof. Emeritus William Walker Tait, an acclaimed philosopher and mathematician at the University of Chicago, died March 15 in Naperville, Ill.. He was 95.

Known by colleagues as one of the most distinguished philosophers of mathematics of the second half of the 20th century, Tait was professor emeritus in the Department of Philosophy and the Committee on the Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science at UChicago. During a career spanning 60 years, he made significant contributions to development of proof theory, as well as to logic and the philosophy of mathematics.

“Bill Tait was chair of Philosophy when I joined the department in 1981 and he was arguably the best chair I knew, standing up for the department and junior faculty—often against the administration—with a fierce moral determination but a twinkle in his eye,” said Josef Stern, the William H. Colvin Professor Emeritus in the Department of Philosophy at UChicago.

Howard Stein, acclaimed UChicago philosopher and historian of physics, 1929‒2024

Howard Stein, Philosophy Professor Emeritus, at the University of Chicago

Prof. Emeritus Howard Stein, a renowned philosopher and historian of physics at the University of Chicago, died March 8 at his home in Hyde Park. He was 95.

A trained philosopher and mathematician, Stein was a longtime faculty member of the Department of Philosophy and the Committee on the Conceptual Foundations of Science. Colleagues recalled Stein’s curiosity about physics, the elegance of his writing, and his impact on our understanding of the history of philosophy and physics.

According to Thomas Pashby, assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy at UChicago, Stein inaugurated the modern study of the foundation of physics in 1967 with his article “Newtonian Space-Time,” published in The Texas Quarterly.

Humanities Division Strengthens Its Commitment to Teaching the Modern Greek Language

From left: Anastasia Giannakidou, director of the Center for Hellenic Studies at UChicago, and Alexander Pissios, businessman and philanthropist

UChicago’s Division of the Humanities announces a $1.25 million gift for the study of the modern Greek language from the Alexander S. Pissios Family Foundation Fund for Teaching of the Greek Language. This generous gift from Alexander Pissios, UChicago College 2026 parent, will support the teaching of Greek through the Division of the Humanities and the Center for Hellenic Studies.

“What unifies the Greeks is their language, which presents a continuous unbroken tradition that stretches back in time for more than 3,000 years,” said Anastasia Giannakidou, founder and inaugural director of the Center for Hellenic Studies and the Frank J. McLoraine Professor in the Department of Linguistics at UChicago. “Modern Greek is a small language in the U.S., but an important element in the identity of the Greek diaspora and in need of revitalization."

Young Scholars Worldwide Interact at the International Balzan Prize Inaugural Symposium

The evening Mehfil Concert was a fitting finale to the lively conversations and interactions among the young ethnomusicology scholars. Photo by Christine Bohlman

An Indian hip-hop musician incorporates Hindu messages into his songs. The Black Opry changes country music. Through time, space, and sound, the fates of the Yurok tribe and Chinook salmon on the Klamath River are interconnected.

Music and sound move through generations, different disciplines, and geography. At the Borderlands of Sonic Encounters Inaugural Symposium on Feb. 9 at the Franke Institute for the Humanities at UChicago, young scholars explored multiple topics centering on borderlands, where music and sound are the common denominators.

“This inaugural symposium gathered young scholars from different parts of the world, sparked remarkable conversations, and established the intellectual foundation for the Balzan Prize project,” said Bohlman, the Ludwig Rosenberger Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Music at UChicago.

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