Ilkka Niiniluoto was born in Helsinki in 1946. He did his Master's degree in Mathematics in 1968 and Ph.D. in Theoretical Philosophy in 1974 at the University of Helsinki. In 1973-77 Niiniluoto was Associate Professor of Mathematics (Foundations), and in 1977-2014 Professor of Theoretical Philosophy. In 1975-2015 he was the President of the Philosophical Society of Finland, and in 1980-2020 the Editor-in-chief of Acta Philosophica Fennica. In 2000-2014 he was the chair of the Finnish Federation of Learned Societies. In 1998-2003 he worked as half-time Vice-Rector for research, in 2003-2008 as Rector, and in 2008-2013 as Chancellor of the University. Niiniluoto's main works are Is Science Progressive? (1984), Truthlikeness (1987), Critical Scientific Realism (1999, paperback 2002), Truth-Seeking by Abduction (2018), and Beauty, Truth, and Justice (2022). In 2017 he recieved the title of Academician of science. 

Since the 1970s my research has focused on logical and other formal tools applied to problems within the methodology and philosophy of science. I have worked on inductive logic, probabilistic reasoning, theory of truth, truthlikeness, and approximate truth with applications to the structure and dynamics of scientific theories, theory change, theoretical concepts, idealization, confirmation, explanation, abductive inference, and belief revision. I have also written on other topics in philosophical logic, epistemology, philosophy of technology, philosophy of culture, and social philosophy.