John N. Deck
Encyclopedia
John Norbert Deck was a Canadian philosopher. Adhering to neither sartorial nor intellectual fashions, Deck inspired generations of students with his highly idiosyncratic form of idealism, deriving from Plotinus
but equally rooted in Thomas Aquinas
and Hegel.
He was educated at Assumption College
in Windsor, Ontario
, which at that time was affiliated with the University of Western Ontario
, (B.A., 1946, M.A., 1946). He received his Ph. D. in Philosophy at the University of Toronto
in 1960. His doctoral dissertation reappraised the Neoplatonic philosophy of Plotinus
from the standpoint of a central doctrine in his Enneads
, exploring how "contemplative producing" gives rise to every level of reality, including the physical world; it was published as Nature, Contemplation, and the One: A Study in the Philosophy of Plotinus
by the University of Toronto Press in 1967.
After serving as Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Boston College
and a brief stint working for the Canadian Pacific Railway
, in 1957 he became Professor of Philosophy at Assumption College, (later known as the University of Windsor
), where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in metaphysics and the history of philosophy until his death. The University of Windsor awards the John N. Deck Memorial Prize in Philosophy each year "in recognition of outstanding scholastic achievement or proficiency."
At a time when Neoplatonism
in philosophy, as well as philosophy itself in the university, was considered hopelessly outdated, he developed a freshman class called "Dream worlds and real worlds" that brought the message of Plotinus to the most unpromising students; it proved to be immensely popular, disconcerting his academic rivals.
Although he died in 1979, he is arguably more popular and influential now than ever before. Nature, Contemplation, and the One was republished in 1991 (back in print for the first time after over twenty years, and in a convenient paperback) and now a proliferation of websites such as Anthony Flood's http://www.anthonyflood.com/deck.htm are making available his articles for ongoing discussion.
" and said that "it must be read by all modern serious students of Plotinus."
Anthony Damiani, a longtime student of Paul Brunton
and founder of Wisdom's Goldenrod Center for Philosophic Studies in upstate New York, considered Deck's magnum opus, Nature, Contemplation, and the One to be the best guide to Plotinus. His publishing house, Larson, has republished it in paperback with a brief introduction by Deck's friend and executor, Lawrence Dewan, which places Deck as a member of the "workshop of Plotinus." They have also reissued an edition of Stephen Mackenna's translation of the Enneads
of Plotinus
, which footnotes alternate translations from all the later scholars, especially Deck.
Plotinus
Plotinus was a major philosopher of the ancient world. In his system of theory there are the three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition...
but equally rooted in Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
and Hegel.
He was educated at Assumption College
Assumption College
Assumption College is a private, Roman Catholic, liberal arts college located on 185 acres in Worcester, Massachusetts. Assumption has an enrollment of about 2,117 undergraduates...
in Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, which at that time was affiliated with the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
, (B.A., 1946, M.A., 1946). He received his Ph. D. in Philosophy at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 1960. His doctoral dissertation reappraised the Neoplatonic philosophy of Plotinus
Plotinus
Plotinus was a major philosopher of the ancient world. In his system of theory there are the three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition...
from the standpoint of a central doctrine in his Enneads
Enneads
The Six Enneads, sometimes abbreviated to The Enneads or Enneads , is the collection of writings of Plotinus, edited and compiled by his student Porphyry . Plotinus was a student of Ammonius Saccas and they were founders of Neoplatonism...
, exploring how "contemplative producing" gives rise to every level of reality, including the physical world; it was published as Nature, Contemplation, and the One: A Study in the Philosophy of Plotinus
Plotinus
Plotinus was a major philosopher of the ancient world. In his system of theory there are the three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition...
by the University of Toronto Press in 1967.
After serving as Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
and a brief stint working for the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
, in 1957 he became Professor of Philosophy at Assumption College, (later known as the University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
), where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in metaphysics and the history of philosophy until his death. The University of Windsor awards the John N. Deck Memorial Prize in Philosophy each year "in recognition of outstanding scholastic achievement or proficiency."
At a time when Neoplatonism
Neoplatonism
Neoplatonism , is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD, based on the teachings of Plato and earlier Platonists, with its earliest contributor believed to be Plotinus, and his teacher Ammonius Saccas...
in philosophy, as well as philosophy itself in the university, was considered hopelessly outdated, he developed a freshman class called "Dream worlds and real worlds" that brought the message of Plotinus to the most unpromising students; it proved to be immensely popular, disconcerting his academic rivals.
Although he died in 1979, he is arguably more popular and influential now than ever before. Nature, Contemplation, and the One was republished in 1991 (back in print for the first time after over twenty years, and in a convenient paperback) and now a proliferation of websites such as Anthony Flood's http://www.anthonyflood.com/deck.htm are making available his articles for ongoing discussion.
Books
- Nature, Contemplation, and the One: A Study in the Philosophy of PlotinusPlotinusPlotinus was a major philosopher of the ancient world. In his system of theory there are the three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition...
. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1967. Reprinted: Burdett: Larson, 1991.
Selected articles
- Review of Jacques MaritainJacques MaritainJacques Maritain was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised as a Protestant, he converted to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive St. Thomas Aquinas for modern times and is a prominent drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...
, Bergsonian Philosophy and ThomismThomismThomism is the philosophical school that arose as a legacy of the work and thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. In philosophy, his commentaries on Aristotle are his most lasting contribution...
, and The Social and Political Philosophy of Jacques Maritain, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 18:4, June 1958, 561-62. - Review of Ethics: The Introduction to Moral Science by John A. Oesterle, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Vol. 19, No. 4 (Jun., 1959), p. 544
- Review of Social Philosophy by Martin G. Plattel. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Vol. 27, No. 1 (Sep., 1966), pp. 128-129.
- St. Thomas Aquinas and the Language of Total Dependence. Dialogue: Canadian Philosophical Review. 6, June 1967, 74-88. Reprinted in Aquinas: A Collection of Critical Essays, ed. Anthony Kenny, University of Notre Dame Press, 1977.
- The Itself: In-Another Pattern and Total Dependence. Idealistic Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy, 5, January 1975, 59-69.
- PlotinusPlotinusPlotinus was a major philosopher of the ancient world. In his system of theory there are the three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition...
and Sartre: An Ontological Investigation of Being-Other-Than. The Significance of NeoplatonismNeoplatonismNeoplatonism , is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD, based on the teachings of Plato and earlier Platonists, with its earliest contributor believed to be Plotinus, and his teacher Ammonius Saccas...
, ed. R. Baine Harris, Studies in NeoplatonismNeoplatonismNeoplatonism , is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD, based on the teachings of Plato and earlier Platonists, with its earliest contributor believed to be Plotinus, and his teacher Ammonius Saccas...
: Vol. 1, The State University of New York Press, 1976, 319-31. - A Discussion on Individuality and Personality. Dionysius, 2, December 1978, 93-99. [With A. H. ArmstrongA. H. ArmstrongArthur Hilary Armstrong FBA was an English educator and author. Armstrong is recognized as one of the foremost authorities on the philosophical teachings of Plotinus ca. 205–270 CE. His multi-volume translation of the philosopher's teachings is regarded as an essential tool of classical studies.-...
] - The Categories of Unthought. Idealistic Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy, 10, May 1980, 173-179.
- The One, or God, Is Not Properly Hypostasis: A Reply to Professor Anton. The Structure of Being, Albany: State University of New York Press, 1982.
- Metaphysics or Logic? New Scholasticism, 63, Spring 1989, pp. 229-240.
Influence
R. Baine Harris, Director of the International Neoplatonic Society, has called Nature, Contemplation and the One "the best book on PlotinusPlotinus
Plotinus was a major philosopher of the ancient world. In his system of theory there are the three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition...
" and said that "it must be read by all modern serious students of Plotinus."
Anthony Damiani, a longtime student of Paul Brunton
Paul Brunton
Paul Brunton was probably born as Hermann Hirsch of German Jewish origin. Later he changed his name to Raphael Hurst, and then Brunton Paul and finally Paul Brunton. He was a British philosopher, mystic, traveler, and guru...
and founder of Wisdom's Goldenrod Center for Philosophic Studies in upstate New York, considered Deck's magnum opus, Nature, Contemplation, and the One to be the best guide to Plotinus. His publishing house, Larson, has republished it in paperback with a brief introduction by Deck's friend and executor, Lawrence Dewan, which places Deck as a member of the "workshop of Plotinus." They have also reissued an edition of Stephen Mackenna's translation of the Enneads
Enneads
The Six Enneads, sometimes abbreviated to The Enneads or Enneads , is the collection of writings of Plotinus, edited and compiled by his student Porphyry . Plotinus was a student of Ammonius Saccas and they were founders of Neoplatonism...
of Plotinus
Plotinus
Plotinus was a major philosopher of the ancient world. In his system of theory there are the three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition...
, which footnotes alternate translations from all the later scholars, especially Deck.
See also
- PlotinusPlotinusPlotinus was a major philosopher of the ancient world. In his system of theory there are the three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition...
- NeoplatonismNeoplatonismNeoplatonism , is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD, based on the teachings of Plato and earlier Platonists, with its earliest contributor believed to be Plotinus, and his teacher Ammonius Saccas...
- Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
- Hegel
- University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
- University of WindsorUniversity of WindsorThe University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
External links
- Anthony Flood's Deck page (biography and publications): http://www.anthonyflood.com/deck.htm
- Larson Publications: http://www.larsonpublications.com/