Ülo Kaevats (29 September 1947 – 30 January 2015) was an

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

n statesman, academic and philosopher. In 1972, he graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry of the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

with a qualification from a physicist and a research philosopher. Kaevats obtained a PhD from

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

State University in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. He served for many years (1989–1992, 1995–2000) as

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the Estonian Encyclopaedia, the main national work of reference; earlier, he worked as a research fellow at the Estonian and the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

Academies of Sciences An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

, mostly in the

History of Science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Science's earliest roots can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Meso ...

field. Until 2011, when he became

emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

, he was

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

and

chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

of philosophy at

Tallinn University of Technology Established in 1918, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech; et, Tallinna Tehnikaülikool) is the only technical university in Estonia. TalTech, in the capital city of Tallinn, is a university for engineering, business, public administratio ...

(TUT). As a scholar, Kaevats specialized in the

Philosophy of Science Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ultim ...

and the

Philosophy of Technology The philosophy of technology is a sub-field of philosophy that studies the nature of technology and its social effects. Philosophical discussion of questions relating to technology (or its Greek ancestor ''techne'') dates back to the very dawn of ...

. Between 1992 and 1995, during the beginning and re-establishment of independent Estonia, Kaevats served as Secretary of State (''Riigisekretär''; the most senior civil servant with Constitutional rank) of the Republic. He died on 30 January 2015.Professor Emeritus Ülo Kaevats has died
/ref>

References

External links

Riigisekretärid 1918–2003
* Rein Vihalemm, Peeter Müürsepp, Ahti-Veikko Pietarine
In Memoriam Professor Ülo Kaevats
Acta Baltica Historiae et Philosophiae Scientiarum, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Spring 2015) 1947 births 2015 deaths People from Hiiumaa Parish Estonian scholars Estonian philosophers Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 3rd Class University of Tartu alumni Tallinn University of Technology faculty Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 4th Class {{Estonia-academic-bio-stub