Professor Raimo Tuomela

I received my first Ph.D. in 1968 (University of Helsinki) and the second one in 1969 (Stanford University). I have been (full) professor of philosophy (esp. 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 (cf. curriculum vitae), the theory of social action has recently been my main research interest. This work has yielded many articles and some books (esp. 1984, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002). I have 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 Aug. 1, 1995, until July 31, 2000, I 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. This active project concentrates on developing a conceptually and logically precise conceptual framework for analyzing social systems and social life in general. It aims to study basic social notions such as we-attitudes (e.g. joint intentions, joint action, mutual beliefs), group concepts (e.g. group action, group goals and beliefs), social norms and norm-based notions. Currently the main focus is on nearby notions such as social practices, customs, and traditions as well as social institutions, cooperation, trust, and other notions that express or are closely connected to collective intentionality.