Alan Harry Donagan (10 February 1925 – 29 May 1991) was an Australian/American philosopher, distinguished for his theories on the philosophy of history and the nature of morality.
He attended the
University of Melbourne and was Professor of Philosophy at the
University of Chicago.
He is most well known for his book
The Theory of Morality' (1977) where he tries to argue for the common morality of the
Hebrew-
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
traditions which
Thomas Aquinas and
Immanuel Kant shared. Starting from that "primary common principle" which prescribes anybody to treat the humanity "always as an end and never as a means only", he identifies in the
Kantian concept of "respect"—namely in the axiom according to which "you are not allowed not to respect each human being, yourself or any, as a rational creature"—the very principle of morality, whereby the idea of personal life as an "objective good", to which anybody ought to be absolutely bound, and that nobody can arbitrarily decide upon. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was deeply committed to the history of law and ethics which led him to conceptual issues that arise out of practical reflections on moral and juridical issues.
In reviewing Donagan's ''Philosophical Papers'' D. W. Hamlyn wrote, "the papers which make up the final two thirds of the second volume of this compilation clearly reveal Donagan's claim to being a major twentieth century philosopher." Volume 104, No.1 of The Journal ''Ethics'' was dedicated in honor of his philosophy.
Writings
* ''The Later Philosophy of R. G. Collingwood'' (Oxford, 1962)
* ''Philosophy of History'' ed. Alan Donagan and Barbara Donagan (Macmillan, 1965)
* ''The Theory of Morality'' (Chicago, 1977)
Book-review excerpts
* ''Choice: The Essential Element in Human Action'' (Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987)
* ''Spinoza'' (Chicago, 1988)
* ''The Philosophical Papers of Alan Donagan'' ed. J. E. Malpas, 2 vols (Chicago, 1994)
* ''Reflections on Philosophy and Religion'' ed. Anthony N. Perovich Jr. (Oxford, 1999)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donagan, Alan
20th-century American philosophers
Australian philosophers
Philosophers of ethics and morality
Philosophers from Illinois
Philosophers from Minnesota
University of Melbourne alumni
University of Chicago faculty
University of Minnesota faculty
1925 births
1991 deaths
Australian emigrants to the United States