ROBERT S. COHEN ’43

ROBERT S. COHEN, Professor of Philosophy and Physics, Emeritus, at Boston University and co-founder of the Boston University Center for Philosophy and History of Science, died June 19, 2017. He was 94. A member of the John Wesley Club, he received his degree with high honors and was elected both to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi. He received master’s and PhD degrees from Yale University. From 1949 to 1957 he was an assistant professor of physics and philosophy at Wesleyan, after which he moved to Boston University, first as an associate professor of physics, and then as a professor of both philosophy and physics from 1959 until his retirement in 1993. During his time at Boston University, he served as chair of both the philosophy and physics departments, and also as acting dean of the college. He helped recruit many scholars to BU, was a visiting fellow at several European academies of science, and held visiting appointments at MIT; Brandeis; the University of California, San Diego; and Yale. He was also a research fellow in the history of science at Harvard University. A trustee emeritus of Wesleyan, he received an honorary degree in 1986. He was active politically and spoke out on behalf of the principles of justice and fairness that defined his fundamental political convictions. Two of his greatest achievements were the founding of the Boston University Center for Philosophy and History of Science, and the launch of the book series Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, both of which have had a transformative and lasting impact on the field. The Boston Colloquium for Philosophy of Science, sponsored by the Center, brings together dozens of top scholars from around the world every year to discuss the history, conceptual foundations, and methodologies of the sciences. At the time of his passing, more than 325 volumes, over 50 of which he co-edited, had been published in the Book Series. As well, he helped to establish the field of philosophy of science around the world by organizing these volumes in other countries. His first wife, Robin Hirshhorn Cohen, predeceased him, as did his brother-in-law, Gordon L. Hirshhorn ’59. Among those who survive are his second wife, Karin von Trotha-Cohen, three children, and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.