A. Phillips Griffiths
Personal Information
Description
Griff, as he was universally known, was appointed to the chair of Philosophy and the newly founded University of Warwick in 1964. At the time he was the youngest Professor of Philosophy in the country, and he proceeded to build up a department, remarkable not only for the many distinguished philosophers who served and continue to serve in it, but also for its eclecticism and for the range of philosophical interests and styles represented in it. By the time of his retirement from Warwick, in 1997, the department had become one of the biggest and strongest in the country.
Books
Ethics
The feminist movement has challenged many of the unstated assumptions on which ethics as a branch of philosophy has always rested - assumptions about human nature, moral agency, citizenship and kinship. The twenty-six readings in this book express the discontent of a succession of fiercely articulate women writers, from Mary Wollstonecraft to the present day, with the masculine bias of 'morality'. The editors have contributed an overall introduction, which discusses ethics, feminism and feminist themes in ethics, and have provided introductions to each of the readings, designed to situate in their historical and intellectual context. They have also compiled two lists for further reading: `Ethics: a Feminist Bibliography' and 'The Male Tradition'. Ethics: A Feminist Reader is an essential resource for students and teachers of philosophy, political theory and women's studies. For anyone with a stake in progressive sexual politics it is an inspirational guide. The volume contains essays by: Mary Wollstonecraft, Cicely Hamilton, Margaret Sanger, Betty Friedan, Christine Delphy, Andrea Dworkin, Rosalind Coward, Nickie Roberts, Emma Goldman, Virginia Woolf, Simone de Beauvoir, Audre Lorde June Jordan, Jacqueline Rose, Judith Williamson, Seyla Benhabib, Alexandra Kollontai, Adrienne Rich, Kate Soper, Catherine A. MacKinnon, Elizabeth Wilson, Susan F. Parrsons, Rosalind Pollack Petchesky, Sara Ruddick and Sheila Jeffreys.
A.J. Ayer memorial essays
A. J. Ayer, who died in 1989, was acknowledged as one of Britain's most distinguished philosophers. In this memorial collection of essays leading Western philosophers reflect on Ayer'' place in the history of philosophy and explore aspects of his thought and teaching. The volume also includes a posthumous essay by Ayer himself: "A Defence of Empiricism." These essays are undoubtedly a fitting tribute to a major figure, but the collection is not simply retrospective; rather it looks forward to present and future developments in philosophical thought that Ayer's work has stimulated.--Publisher description.
Philosophy and literature
The areas in which philosophy and literature overlap are examined in this program by renowned Oxford novelist Iris Murdoch. Style and structure in philosophical writing are compared and contrasted with those in literature. The narrative abilities of Plato, Schopenhauer, and Kant are examined. Philosophy's predilection for accepting only literature that supports its theories is discussed as a source of antagonism between the two disciplines.