David Oswald Thomas
Encyclopedia
David Oswald Thomas was a Welsh
philosopher, born in Rhuthun, Denbighshire, the son of the Clerk to the Department of Education for the county. He was educated at Denbigh
Grammar School, after which he worked as a bank clerk. In 1943, after two years in the bank, he joined the RAF. He served until 1946. Stationed for most of the time in the Middle East, he served one and a half years in Iraq. At the end of his service he took advantage of a scheme for demobilizing into university and studied philosophy at the University College of Wales, Bangor. His student days were marked by the onset of ankylosing spondylitis
. After completing his degree, Thomas studied the British idealists
for his MA, and then moved from Bangor to London where, for his PhD, he studied the political philosophy of Richard Price
. His choice of subject had been influenced by the publication in 1948 of D.D. Raphael's new edition of Price's A Review of the Principal Questions in Morals, first published 190 years earlier. He was successively Tutor in Philosophy and Psychology at Coleg Harlech
1955-60; Lecturer in Philosophy, UCW Aberystwyth 1960-67, Senior Lecturer 1967-79, Reader 1979-83. In 1965, he married Dr Beryl Jones, with whom he had one daughter, Janet. Thomas died Aberystwyth
28 May 2005.
Dr. Thomas made Richard Price
, the eighteenth-century Welsh philosopher and polymath, his life's work. In 1977 he published the definitive study of Price, The Honest Mind. This was followed by the complete correspondence of Price, which he produced in collaboration with Bernard Peach of Duke University
, and with the assistance of his wife, Beryl Thomas.
Thomas felt that thinkers like Price had received insufficient attention and wished to encourage studies in that area. In 1977, in collaboration with Dr. Martin FitzPatrick, he began the Price-Priestley Newsletter, which in 1982, matured into the journal . The journal itself fulfilled his expectations, publishing major articles on eighteenth-century thought including special issues on Samuel Clarke
and Enlightenment, Religion, Science and Popular Culture.
Thomas had a special ability to combine philosophical insight with historical understanding. Immune to fashionable trends in the history of philosophy and of ideas, he was critical of the concept of paradigms of thought associated with the work of J. G. A. Pocock. He preferred the notion of traditions, yet was also insistent that traditions of thought should not be viewed as mutually exclusive. His own method enabled him to analyse philosophical problems as they appeared to eighteenth-century writers and at the same time to indicate how those problems might still pose difficulties for us today. His examination of the conflict between Price and Edmund Burke in The Honest Mind is a fine example of his approach. He identified the essential differences between the two thinkers while also demonstrating that Burke's attack on Price was founded, at least in part, on a misunderstanding of Price's political principles.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
philosopher, born in Rhuthun, Denbighshire, the son of the Clerk to the Department of Education for the county. He was educated at Denbigh
Denbigh
Denbigh is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Before 1888, it was the county town of Denbighshire. Denbigh lies 8 miles to the north west of Ruthin and to the south of St Asaph. It is about 13 miles from the seaside resort of Rhyl. The town grew around the glove-making industry...
Grammar School, after which he worked as a bank clerk. In 1943, after two years in the bank, he joined the RAF. He served until 1946. Stationed for most of the time in the Middle East, he served one and a half years in Iraq. At the end of his service he took advantage of a scheme for demobilizing into university and studied philosophy at the University College of Wales, Bangor. His student days were marked by the onset of ankylosing spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis , previously known as Bekhterev's disease, Bekhterev syndrome, and Marie-Strümpell disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the axial skeleton with variable involvement of peripheral joints and nonarticular structures...
. After completing his degree, Thomas studied the British idealists
British idealism
A species of absolute idealism, British idealism was a philosophical movement that was influential in Britain from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. The leading figures in the movement were T.H. Green , F. H. Bradley , and Bernard Bosanquet . They were succeeded by the...
for his MA, and then moved from Bangor to London where, for his PhD, he studied the political philosophy of Richard Price
Richard Price
Richard Price was a British moral philosopher and preacher in the tradition of English Dissenters, and a political pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the American Revolution. He fostered connections between a large number of people, including writers of the...
. His choice of subject had been influenced by the publication in 1948 of D.D. Raphael's new edition of Price's A Review of the Principal Questions in Morals, first published 190 years earlier. He was successively Tutor in Philosophy and Psychology at Coleg Harlech
Coleg Harlech
Coleg Harlech is a further education college for mature students in Harlech, Gwynedd.It is Wales' only long-term, mature students education college and was established in 1927 by Thomas Jones , Cabinet Secretary to both David Lloyd George and Stanley Baldwin, to continue the work of Workers'...
1955-60; Lecturer in Philosophy, UCW Aberystwyth 1960-67, Senior Lecturer 1967-79, Reader 1979-83. In 1965, he married Dr Beryl Jones, with whom he had one daughter, Janet. Thomas died Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
28 May 2005.
Dr. Thomas made Richard Price
Richard Price
Richard Price was a British moral philosopher and preacher in the tradition of English Dissenters, and a political pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the American Revolution. He fostered connections between a large number of people, including writers of the...
, the eighteenth-century Welsh philosopher and polymath, his life's work. In 1977 he published the definitive study of Price, The Honest Mind. This was followed by the complete correspondence of Price, which he produced in collaboration with Bernard Peach of Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, and with the assistance of his wife, Beryl Thomas.
Thomas felt that thinkers like Price had received insufficient attention and wished to encourage studies in that area. In 1977, in collaboration with Dr. Martin FitzPatrick, he began the Price-Priestley Newsletter, which in 1982, matured into the journal . The journal itself fulfilled his expectations, publishing major articles on eighteenth-century thought including special issues on Samuel Clarke
Samuel Clarke
thumb|right|200px|Samuel ClarkeSamuel Clarke was an English philosopher and Anglican clergyman.-Early life and studies:...
and Enlightenment, Religion, Science and Popular Culture.
Thomas had a special ability to combine philosophical insight with historical understanding. Immune to fashionable trends in the history of philosophy and of ideas, he was critical of the concept of paradigms of thought associated with the work of J. G. A. Pocock. He preferred the notion of traditions, yet was also insistent that traditions of thought should not be viewed as mutually exclusive. His own method enabled him to analyse philosophical problems as they appeared to eighteenth-century writers and at the same time to indicate how those problems might still pose difficulties for us today. His examination of the conflict between Price and Edmund Burke in The Honest Mind is a fine example of his approach. He identified the essential differences between the two thinkers while also demonstrating that Burke's attack on Price was founded, at least in part, on a misunderstanding of Price's political principles.
Notable works
- The honest mind: the thought and work of Richard Price; Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1977.
- The correspondence of Richard Price [with W. Bernard Peach]; 3 vols.; Duke University Press, Durham N.C. & University of Wales Press, Cardiff, 1983-1994.
- A bibliography of the works of Richard Price; Scolar Press, 1993.
- Enlightenment and Dissent (periodical journal)
- Richard Price, 1723-1791; Cardiff, University of Wales Press, 1976. [parallel Welsh & English text]
- Ymateb I chwyldro: barn rahi Cymry blaenllaw ar ddigwyddiadau cychwynnol y Chwyldro Ffrengig = Response to revolution : how the opening events of the French Revolution were perceived by some prominent Welshmen. [text in English]; University of Wales Press, Cardiff, 1989.
- Richard Price and America (1723-91); Aberystwyth, the author, 1975.