D. Z. Phillips

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Dewi Zephaniah Phillips (24 November 1934 - 25 July 2006), known as D. Z. Phillips, enjoyed a long and distinguished academic career spanning four decades at Swansea University. He had a wife, Monica, and three children: Steffan, Rhys, and Aled, who is a member of the Administrative Computing Unit in the University’s Administration. From 1993 until the time of his death, he held the Danforth Chair in Philosophy of Religion at Claremont Graduate University, California. He was also Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Wales, Swansea, where he was Director of the Rush Rhees Archives. He was editor of the journal Philosophical Investigations, as well as the Claremont Studies in the Philosophy of Religion and Wittgensteinian Studies series.

He was born in Morriston, Glamorgan, Wales, and studied at University College, Swansea (1952-58) and the University of Oxford (St Catherine’s Society) (1958-61). From 1959 until 1961, he was Minister of Fabian Bay Congregational Church, Swansea. He began his academic career at Queen’s College, Dundee, in 1961, before joining the University College of North Wales, Bangor, in 1963, until 1965. Professor Phillips took up the post of Lecturer at Swansea University in 1965, in the Department of Philosophy and became a Professor of Philosophy in 1971. In 1982, he became Dean of the Faculty of Arts, until 1985, and he was Vice-Principal from 1989 until 1992. In 1996 he became the Rush Rhees Professor Emeritus in the Department of Philosophy. He held the position of Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, based within the School of Humanities, until his death. He was the Director of the Rush Rhees and Peter Winch Archives, and editor of the journal Philosophical Investigations (Blackwells) and the Swansea Series in Philosophy (Palgrave).

Professor Phillips held the Danforth Chair in Philosophy of Religion at Claremont Graduate University, California, and the endowed lectures he gave during his academic career include the Cardinal Mercier Lectures (Leuven), Marett Lecture (Oxford), Riddell Lectures (Newcastle), McMartin Lectures (Carleton University, in Ottawa), Hintz Lecture (Tucson), and the Aquinas Lecture (Oxford), and Vonhoff Lectures (Groningen).

His research interests included the philosophy of religion, ethics, philosophy and literature, Simone Weil, Søren Kierkegaard, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. He contributed to Swansea University's reputation as a centre of Wittgenstein's philosophy.

Professor Phillips died of a heart attack in the University Library, on the 25th of July, 2006. He was 73.

[edit] Published works

D. Z. Phillips was perhaps best known for his publications in the philosophy of religion, but he has also published articles in ethics, philosophy and literature, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. Some books authored by D. Z. Phillips include: