Lewis White Beck
Encyclopedia
Lewis White Beck was an American philosopher and scholar of German philosophy
. Beck was Burbank Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy at the University of Rochester
and served as the Philosophy Department chair there from 1949 to 1966. He translated several of Immanuel Kant
's works, including the Critique of Practical Reason
, and was the author of Studies in The Philosophy of Kant (1965).
, Beck received his bachelor's degree from Emory University
in 1934, his master's degree from Duke University
in 1935, and his doctoral degree from Duke University in 1937.
Before moving to Rochester, he was a Fellow at the University of Berlin (1937–38), an instructor at Emory University
(1938–41), assistant professor at the University of Delaware
(1941–46), and associate professor at Lehigh University
(1946–48), eventually becoming professor (1948–49). He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1963.
He retired in 1979 and died at age 83 in Rochester, New York
.
German philosophy
German philosophy, here taken to mean either philosophy in the German language or philosophy by Germans, has been extremely diverse, and central to both the analytic and continental traditions in philosophy for centuries, from Leibniz through Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Marx, Nietzsche, Heidegger...
. Beck was Burbank Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy at the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
and served as the Philosophy Department chair there from 1949 to 1966. He translated several of Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
's works, including the Critique of Practical Reason
Critique of Practical Reason
The Critique of Practical Reason is the second of Immanuel Kant's three critiques, first published in 1788. It follows on from his Critique of Pure Reason and deals with his moral philosophy....
, and was the author of Studies in The Philosophy of Kant (1965).
Biography
Born in Griffin, GeorgiaGriffin, Georgia
Griffin is a city in and the county seat of Spalding County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 23,643.-Geography:Griffin is located at ....
, Beck received his bachelor's degree from Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
in 1934, his master's degree from 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...
in 1935, and his doctoral degree from Duke University in 1937.
Before moving to Rochester, he was a Fellow at the University of Berlin (1937–38), an instructor at Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
(1938–41), assistant professor at the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
(1941–46), and associate professor at Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
(1946–48), eventually becoming professor (1948–49). He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1963.
He retired in 1979 and died at age 83 in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
.
Books
- Philosophic Inquiry: An Introduction to Philosophy (1952)
- A Commentary on Kant's Critique of Practical Reason (1961)
- Six Secular Philosophers (1966)
- Early German Philosophy: Kant and His Predecessors (1969)
- The Actor and the Spectator (1975)
- Essays in Kant and Hume (1978)
Translations
- Kant's Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics That Will Be Able to Present Itself as a Science
- Kant's Critique of Practical Reason
- Kant's The Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals
External links
- "Philosopher, Scholar Lewis White Beck Dies" - University of Rochester press release.