John Wisdom

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the philosopher. For the U.S. court of appeals judge, see John Minor Wisdom.

John Wisdom (1904–1993) was an ordinary language philosopher and philosopher of mind. He was heavily influenced by G.E. Moore and Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Wisdom taught at Oxford and Cambridge Universities in the UK and, near the end of his career, at the University of Oregon in the US. He was president of the Aristotelian Society from 1950 to 1951.

One of his most famous compositions was the "Parable of the Invisible Gardener", which was used by Antony Flew for his falsification argument for the existence of God.

[edit] Writings

  • Interpretation and Analysis, (1931)
  • Other Minds, (1952)
  • Philosophy & PsychoAnalysis, (1953)
  • Paradox and Discovery, (1965)
  • Proof and Explanation (The Virginia Lectures 1957), (1991)