Andrew Spencer
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Dr. Andrew Spencer (born November 19, 1936) is an American author and philosopher, born in Willmar, Minnesota.
Though often associated with the school of existentialism, largely because of his use of dystopia in works of literature by Albert Camus, Aldous Huxley, and George Orwell in his public lectures, Spencer preferred to be known as a good man, first and foremost, and a philosopher second. He rejects any allegiance to a particular school of thought or ideology. He made it known in his first, and most famous published essay, "The Practicality of Mankind" that he preferred character study over lofty ideas.
A well travelled man, he has lived in four countries: The United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Belgium. After spending much of his middle years living in Ireland, he eventually retired to his spiritual home of Minnesota, from whence much of his inspiration was drawn. His work has been likened to that of Henry David Thoreau best known for championing the theory of civil disobedience.
While he has not published a book of his own, he has written many lengthy essays and his work has been cited in several scholarly journals. There is speculation that he is currently working his own studies and journal contributions into a published book. It is likely to contain his memoirs as well.
[edit] Articles
- "The machismo of steak: breaking the boundaries of societal constraint", Men and Masculinities 1:1 (July 1971): 18-23.
- "Bunking with Bears, the fear response of modern man", Back to Nature (August 1978): 14-18.
- "Why?", American Journal of Philosophy XXIV (January 1982): 20-21.
[edit] Works consulted/ Further Reading
- Derrida, J.; Margins of philosophy 1982, University of Chicago Press; Chicago, Illinois
- R Montague; Formal philosophy: selected papers of Richard Montague RH Thomason, 1974, Yale University Press; New Haven, Connecticut
- Thoreau, Henry D., Life without principle
- Vendler, Z.; Linguistics in philosophy 1967, Cornell University Press; Ithaca, New York
