David Hawkins (philosopher)
David Hawkins | |
---|---|
Hawkins–Simon theorem | |
Academic background | |
Alma mater | Stanford University University of California, Berkeley |
Thesis | A Causal Interpretation of Probability |
Academic work | |
Institutions | George Washington University University of Colorado |
David Hawkins (February 28, 1913 – February 24, 2002) was an American scientist whose interests included the philosophy of science, mathematics, economics, childhood science education, and ethics. He was also an administrative assistant at the
Early life
David Hawkins was born in El Paso, Texas, the youngest of seven children of William Ashton Hawkins, and his wife Clara née Gardiner.[1] His father was a prominent lawyer noted for his work on water law,[2] who worked for the El Paso and Northeastern Railway,[3] and was one of the founders of the city of Alamogordo, New Mexico.[1] He grew up in La Luz, New Mexico.[2]
Hawkins attended Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut, but left after his junior year to enter Stanford University.[1] He initially studied chemistry, but then switched to physics before finally majoring in philosophy.[4] He was awarded his B.A. in 1934 and M.A. in 1936.[1] While he was there, he met Frances Pockman,[5] a teacher and writer.[1] They married in San Francisco in 1937. They had a daughter, Julie.[4]
In 1936, Hawkins went to the
Manhattan Project
After graduating, Hawkins worked at Berkeley until May 1943, when Oppenheimer recruited him to work at the
Hawkins saw his role as that of a go-between, mediating between the civilian scientists and the military leadership at Los Alamos,
Hawkins is credited with the selection of the Alamogordo area for the
Later life
With World War II over, he left Los Alamos to become an associate professor of philosophy at George Washington University, but left in 1947 to join the faculty at the
On December 20, 1950, Hawkins was called before the
From 1962, Hawkins increasingly took an interest in early childhood education and in improving elementary school science education. With his wife Frances, they established the Elementary Science Advisory Center to improve the standard of science teaching, which he directed from 1965 to 1970. In 1970, they founded the campus-based Mountain View Center for Environmental Education with funding from the university and the
Hawkins died at his home in Boulder, Colorado, on February 24, 2002.[1] He was survived by his wife Frances and daughter Julie. His papers are in the library of the University of Colorado, Boulder.[4] In 2013, the University of Colorado hosted an interactive exhibit in Boulder about his life and work, Cultivate the Scientist in Every Child: The Philosophy of Frances and David Hawkins.[13] Over the following five years, the exhibit travelled to Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and California, before arriving in its permanent home at Boulder Journey School in Boulder.[14]
Selected works
- Hawkins, David (1961). Manhattan District history, Project Y, the Los Alamos Project – Volume I: Inception until August 1945. Los Angeles: Tomash Publishers. ISBN 978-0-938228-08-0. LAMS-2532. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
- ——— (1964). The Language of Nature: An Essay on the Philosophy of Science. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman.
- ——— (1974). The Informed Vision, Essays on Learning and Human Nature. New York: Agathon Press. OCLC 301735786.
- ——— (1977). The Science and Ethics of Equality. New York: Basic Books. OCLC 2837081.
- ——— (2000). The Roots of Literacy. Boulder, Colorado: University Press of Colorado. OCLC 44391709.
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher (March 4, 2002). "David Hawkins, 88, Historian For Manhattan Project in 1940's". New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ a b c Woo, Elaine. "D. Hawkins, 88; Atomic Bomb Historian". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form – La Luz Townsite". National Park Service. Retrieved January 27, 2017.{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203001119/https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset?assetID=a1274d75-8e4f-4579-9405-f11b2a62b4db |archive-date=3 February 2017[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "David Hawkins Papers". University of Colorado Boulder Libraries, Special Collection, Archives and Preservation Department. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Obituary of David Hawkins". University of Colorado. March 7, 2002. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012.
- ^ a b Sherwin, Martin (1982). "Audio Interview with David Hawkins". Voices of the Manhattan Project. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ "A Causal Interpretation of Probability". University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Weil, Martin (March 2, 2002). "Philosopher David Hawkins Dies". Washington Post. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ Ulam 1983, p. 153.
- ^ Ulam 1983, pp. 158–161.
- ^ Ulam 1983, p. 159.
- JSTOR 1905526.
- ^ "Cultivate the Scientist in Every Child Exhibit Explores Compelling Childhood Learning Approaches" (PDF). University of Colorado, Denver. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ "Throwback Thursday: Cultivate the Scientist in Every Child". Hawkins Centers. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- "Wheelock Hosts Hawkins Exhibit and Conference". Wheelock College. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- "Exhibit Location". Hawkins Centers of Learning. Retrieved February 8, 2017. - ISSN 0031-9228.
References
- Ulam, Stanisław (1983). Adventures of a Mathematician. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. OCLC 1528346.
External links
- Sherwin, Martin (1982). "Audio Interview with David Hawkins". Voices of the Manhattan Project. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- "Messing About in Science" (PDF). Science and Children. 2 (5). National Science Teachers Association. February 1965. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- "Hawkins Centers of Learning". Hawkins Centers of Learning. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- Trailer: In the Child's Garden: The Educational Legacy of Frances & David Hawkins. Petite Productions. Retrieved February 8, 2017.