Hampshire, Sir Stuart Newton

▪ 2005

      British philosopher (b. Oct. 1, 1914, Healing, Lincolnshire, Eng.—d. June 13, 2004, Oxford, Eng.), brought aesthetics, politics, and psychology to bear on the philosophy of mind. Hampshire was educated at Repton School and Balliol College, Oxford. He took a first-class degree in Greats in 1936, after which he was elected to a fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford, where he encountered John Langshaw Austin, A.J. Ayer, and Isaiah Berlin. After serving in army intelligence during World War II, Hampshire was a lecturer (1947–50) at University College, London (UCL), where Ayer was head of the philosophy department. Hampshire returned to Oxford, taking up fellowships at New College (1950–55) and All Souls (1955–60). He was Grote Professor of Philosophy of Mind and Logic at UCL (1960–63) before moving to Princeton University, where he became chairman of the philosophy department in 1963. At Princeton he was credited with helping prevent violence during anti-Vietnam War demonstrations. He moved back to England as warden (1970–84) of Wadham College, Oxford, but he finished his academic career at Stanford University (1984–91). Among Hampshire's major books, Spinoza (1951) was still considered the best short introduction to that philosopher; Thought and Action (1959), which shows the influence of Spinoza, develops an intentionalist philosophy of mind; Two Theories of Morality (1977) contrasts the ethical theories of Spinoza and Aristotle and anticipates what came to be called communitarianism; and Justice Is Conflict (1999) argues that moral conflict is inevitable and that the best that can be done is to develop social institutions to fairly mediate that conflict. In addition to philosophy, Hampshire wrote widely on literature and art. He was knighted in 1979.

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