Faculty

Henry Kyburg: 1928–2007

Henry E. Kyburg Jr., a renowned and respected professor of philosophy and computer science who joined the Rochester faculty in 1965, died on Oct. 30. He was 79.

Well-known for his cutting-edge studies of uncertain inference, which is the human process of reaching conclusions, and data mining, the process by which computers search for information in data or draw conclusions from it, Kyburg was the Gideon W. Burbank Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy.

Admired by his students—who can be found working as pioneers themselves across all disciplines at research and educational institutions—for his insightful instruction, generous spirit, and relentless energy, he was honored last spring with the University Award for Lifetime Achievement in Graduate Education.

“The last thing he said to me was ‘I would like a logic problem to work on,’ because Henry was always scribbling, loved his work, and in general never stayed idle,” said his wife Sarah Kyburg, who lived with her husband and eight children on their sustainable farm in Lyons, N.Y.

Born in New York City in 1928, Kyburg grew up in Connecticut. A graduate of Yale and Columbia universities, he joined the Department of Philosophy at the University as a professor in 1965 and served as chair of the department for 13 straight years beginning in 1969. In 1986, he was appointed professor of computer science, while remaining active in the philosophy department.

“The passing of Henry Kyburg is a great loss to philosophy and to the University,” said Randall Curren, chair of the philosophy department. Curren said Kyburg’s work was fundamentally important to understanding the nature of probability and rational inference and that “he remained a formidable thinker and extraordinarily productive scholar through the full span of a 50-year career.”

Kyburg published numerous articles and books on topics such as inductive logic, statistical reasoning, probability, and epistemology. A leading authority on philosophical problems in the study of science and mathematics, his books include Uncertain Interference, cowritten with Choh Man Teng ’98 (PhD), and Probability is the Very Guide of Life: The Philosophical Uses of Chance, coedited with Marian Thalos.

Of his numerous awards and honors, Kyburg was particularly proud of being a fellow with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Kyburg is survived by his wife, Sarah, and their eight children, Christopher Kyburg, Robin Kyburg ’76, Peter Kyburg ’86, Alice Kyburg ’84, ’94 (PhD), Natasha Hawkins, Noel Kyburg, Sarah St. George, and Henry Kyburg III, and 11 grandchildren.