Obituary: DAVID L. HULL | 1935-2010: Top philosopher of science backed gay, lesbian rights
NU professor headed scientific societies, assisted people with AIDS
August 12, 2010
David L. Hull, a leading philosopher of science who also advocated for gay and lesbian rights, died Wednesday of pancreatic cancer at his home in Lake View. He was 75.Mr. Hull spent his career understanding how science, especially biology, works. Mr. Hull's 1988 book, Science as a Process: An Evolutionary Account of the Social and Conceptual Development of Science, applied the rules of evolution in nature to evolution in science, proposing that the forces responsible for changes in species also act on scientific ideas.
"David was not just interested in the philosophy side but in the whole history and development of science," said Michael Ruse, a philosopher of science at Florida State University. Ruse, a prominent opponent of creationism, said he considered Mr. Hull his mentor and "big brother."
An evolutionary theorist, Mr. Hull also promoted the idea of species as individuals rather than sets or collections.
Mr. Hull was born in Burnside, Ill., the son of a John Deere tractor salesman. After serving in the Army, Mr. Hull got his undergraduate degree at Illinois Wesleyan University in 1960, and his Ph.D. at Indiana University in 1964.
He taught between 1964 and 1984 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, then at Northwestern University until 2000. He held positions in scientific societies, including as president of the Philosophy of Science Association and the Society for Systematic Zoology.
Mr. Hull was a generous man who helped out young scholars, according to Robert J. Richards, Morris Fishbein professor of the history of science at the University of Chicago. "There are many whose careers owe something to David," Richards said.
Mr. Hull was an early proponent of gay rights and supportive of AIDS activism, according to his friend Ald. Tom Tunney (44th).
"He was out and well-respected and created a climate of tolerance for gays and lesbians in the city and also in university life," Tunney said.
As a president of academic societies, Mr. Hull prevented them from meeting in states that criminalized gay sex, according to his friend Andrew Ward.
Mr. Hull, whose partner Richard Wellman died of AIDS, often took AIDS patients into his home to care for them, including Ward's brother Robin.
Ward said Mr. Hull didn't suffer fools gladly but was also very patient with his students.
"It was at his house I learned you could be gay and open and happy and not ashamed of yourself," Ward said.
"It was something he taught a lot of people, especially gay men and lesbians."
Mr. Hull is survived by his brother, Richard Hull of North Carolina, one niece and two nephews. A memorial service is being planned for October.