Royce, Josiah

Royce, Josiah
born Nov. 20, 1855, Grass Valley, Calif., U.S.
died Sept. 14, 1916, Cambridge, Mass.

U.S. philosopher.

He studied under William James and Charles Sanders Peirce at Johns Hopkins University. After teaching English at the University of California for four years, he accepted a position at Harvard University (1882), where he remained until his death. An absolute idealist in the Hegelian tradition, he stressed the unity of human thought with the external world. His idealism also extended to religion, the basis of which he conceived to be human loyalty. In his words, the highest good would be achieved by "the willing and practical and thoroughgoing devotion of a person to a cause." A diverse thinker, he also made contributions to psychology, social ethics, literary criticism, history, and metaphysics. His many books include The Religious Aspect of Philosophy (1885), The Spirit of Modern Philosophy (1892), Studies of Good and Evil (1898), The World and the Individual (1900–01), and The Philosophy of Loyalty (1908). His emphasis on individuality and will over intellect strongly influenced 20th-century American philosophy.

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▪ American philosopher
born Nov. 20, 1855, Grass Valley, Calif., U.S.
died Sept. 14, 1916, Cambridge, Mass.

      versatile Idealist philosopher and teacher whose emphasis on individuality and will, rather than intellect, strongly influenced 20th-century philosophy in the United States.

      As an engineering student at the University of California, Royce encountered the teachings of the geologist Joseph LeConte and the poet Edward Rowland Sill, and upon his graduation in 1875 he turned to philosophy. After studies in Germany, he returned to study in the United States under the philosophers William James and Charles Sanders Peirce at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. He taught English for four years at the University of California before beginning his teaching career at Harvard University, where James found him a position. He remained at Harvard for the rest of his career, eventually succeeding George Herbert Palmer as Alford professor (1914).

      Considering himself an absolute (Absolute Idealism) Idealist and borrowing from the works of Hegel, Royce stressed the unity of human thought with the external world. His doctrines were centred on his view of absolute truth, and he declared that everyone must be in agreement with his assertion that such a truth exists, because even those skeptics who would deny this truth automatically affirm it. To deny absolute truth would be to affirm that some “truthful” statements are possible, and thus the skeptic is caught in a self-contradictory attitude toward the possible existence of “truth.”

      Royce's Idealism also extended to religion, the basis of which he conceived to be human loyalty. This “religion of loyalty” was supplemented by an ethical system that showed his emphasis on the human will. In his words, the highest good would be achieved by “the willing and practical and thoroughgoing devotion of a person to a cause.” Like the British Idealist F.H. Bradley, whose views resembled his own, Royce enhanced the reputation of European Idealists in his own country. Both men taught a monistic Idealism and helped raise the intellectual standards for philosophical treatment of human problems.

      Royce's contributions to psychology, social ethics, literary criticism, history, and metaphysics established him as a thinker of widely diverse talents. Among the numerous books and articles he wrote are The Religious Aspect of Philosophy (1885); The Spirit of Modern Philosophy (1892); Studies of Good and Evil (1898); The World and the Individual (Gifford Lectures, vol. I and II, 1900–01); and The Philosophy of Loyalty (1908). The Review of International Philosophy (1967), nos. 1 and 2, were dedicated to Royce and contain an extensive bibliography.

Additional Reading
Vincent Buranelli, Josiah Royce (1964); Bruce Kuklick, Josiah Royce: An Intellectual Biography (1972, reprinted 1985).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Josiah Royce — (* 10. November 1855 in Grass Valley, Kalifornien; † 14. September 1916 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) war ein amerikanischer Philosoph. Royce war ein Schüler von Rudolf Hermann Lotze und Charles S. Peirce. 1882 wurde er Professor an der Harvard… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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