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Georg Henrik von Wright (; 14 June 1916 – 16 June 2003) was a
Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...
philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
.


Biography

G. H. von Wright was born in Helsinki on 14 June 1916 to Tor von Wright and his wife Ragni Elisabeth Alfthan. On the retirement of
Ludwig Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian- British philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He is consi ...
as professor at the
University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
in 1948, von Wright was elected to his chair at the age of 32. He published in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
,
Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...
,
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
, and
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
, belonging to the Swedish-speaking minority of Finland. Von Wright was of both Finnish and 17th-century Scottish ancestry, and the family was raised to
nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...
in 1772.


Work

Von Wright's writings come under two broad categories. The first is
analytic philosophy Analytic philosophy is a branch and tradition of philosophy using analysis, popular in the Western world and particularly the Anglosphere, which began around the turn of the 20th century in the contemporary era in the United Kingdom, United ...
and
philosophical logic Understood in a narrow sense, philosophical logic is the area of logic that studies the application of logical methods to philosophical problems, often in the form of extended logical systems like modal logic. Some theorists conceive philosophical ...
in the Anglo-American vein. His 1951 books, ''An Essay in Modal Logic'' and ''Deontic Logic'', were landmarks in the postwar rise of formal modal logic and its
deontic In moral philosophy, deontological ethics or deontology (from Greek: + ) is the normative ethical theory that the morality of an action should be based on whether that action itself is right or wrong under a series of rules and principles, ...
version. He was an authority on Wittgenstein, editing his later works. He was the leading figure in the Finnish philosophy of his time, specializing in philosophical logic, philosophical analysis,
philosophy of action Action theory (or theory of action) is an area in philosophy concerned with theories about the processes causing willful human bodily movements of a more or less complex kind. This area of thought involves epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, j ...
,
philosophy of language In analytic philosophy, philosophy of language investigates the nature of language and the relations between language, language users, and the world. Investigations may include inquiry into the nature of Meaning (philosophy of language), meanin ...
,
philosophy of mind Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the ontology and nature of the mind and its relationship with the body. The mind–body problem is a paradigmatic issue in philosophy of mind, although a number of other issues are add ...
, and the close study of
Charles Sanders Peirce Charles Sanders Peirce ( ; September 10, 1839 – April 19, 1914) was an American philosopher, logician, mathematician and scientist who is sometimes known as "the father of pragmatism". Educated as a chemist and employed as a scientist for ...
. The other vein in von Wright's writings is
moralist Moralism is any philosophy with the central focus of applying moral judgements. The term is commonly used as a pejorative to mean "being overly concerned with making moral judgments or being illiberal in the judgments one makes". Moralism has s ...
and
pessimist Pessimism is a negative mental attitude in which an undesirable outcome is anticipated from a given situation. Pessimists tend to focus on the negatives of life in general. A common question asked to test for pessimism is "Is the glass half empt ...
. During the last twenty years of his life, under the influence of
Oswald Spengler Oswald Arnold Gottfried Spengler (; 29 May 1880 – 8 May 1936) was a German historian and philosopher of history whose interests included mathematics, science, and art, as well as their relation to his organic theory of history. He is best k ...
,
Jürgen Habermas Jürgen Habermas (, ; ; born 18 June 1929) is a German social theorist in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. His work addresses communicative rationality and the public sphere. Associated with the Frankfurt School, Habermas's wo ...
and the
Frankfurt School The Frankfurt School (german: Frankfurter Schule) is a school of social theory and critical philosophy associated with the Institute for Social Research, at Goethe University Frankfurt in 1929. Founded in the Weimar Republic (1918–1933), dur ...
's reflections about modern
rationality Rationality is the quality of being guided by or based on reasons. In this regard, a person acts rationally if they have a good reason for what they do or a belief is rational if it is based on strong evidence. This quality can apply to an ab ...
, he wrote prolifically. His best known article from this period is entitled "The Myth of Progress" (1993), and it questions whether our apparent material and technological progress can really be considered "
progress Progress is the movement towards a refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. In the context of progressivism, it refers to the proposition that advancements in technology, science, and social organization have resulted, and by extension w ...
" (see Myth of Progress).


Awards

In the last year of his life, among his other honorary degrees, he held an
honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad h ...
at the
University of Bergen The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a research-intensive state university located in Bergen, Norway. As of 2019, the university has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 194 ...
. He also was awarded the Swedish Academy Finland Prize in 1968.


Publications

*'' The Logical Problem of Induction'', PhD thesis, 31 May 1941 *''Den logiska empirismen'' (Logical Empirism), in Swedish, 1945 *''Über Wahrscheinlichkeit'' (On Chance), in German, 1945 *''An Essay in Modal Logic'', 1951 *'' A Treatise on Induction and Probability'', 1951 *''Deontic Logic'', 1951 *''Tanke och förkunnelse'' (Thought and Preaching), in Swedish, 1955 *'' Logical Studies'', 1957 *''Logik, filosofi och språk'' (Logic, philosophy and language), in Swedish, 1957 *''The Varieties of Goodness'', 1963. (1958-60
Gifford Lectures The Gifford Lectures () are an annual series of lectures which were established in 1887 by the will of Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford. Their purpose is to "promote and diffuse the study of natural theology in the widest sense of the term – in o ...
in the
University of St. Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...
He considered this his best and most personal work. *'' Norm and Action'', 1963 (1958-60 Gifford Lectures, St. Andrews *'' The Logic of Preference'', 1963 *''Essay om naturen, människan och den vetenskaplig-tekniska revolutionen'' (Essay on Nature, Man and the Scientific-Technological Revolution), in Swedish, 1963 *'' An Essay in Deontic Logic'', 1968 *''Time, Change and Contradiction'', 1969 *''Tieteen filosofian kaksi perinnettä'' (The Two Traditions of the Philosophy of Science), in Finnish, 1970 *'' Explanation and Understanding'', 1971 *''Causality and Determinism'', 1974 *''Handlung, Norm und Intention'' (Action, Norm and Intention), in German, 1977 *''Humanismen som livshållning'' (Humanism as an approach to Life), in Swedish, 1978 *''Freedom and Determination'', 1980 *''
Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian-British philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He is consi ...
'', 1982 *''Philosophical Papers I-III'', 1983–1984 **v. I ''
Practical Reason In philosophy, practical reason is the use of reason to decide how to act. It contrasts with theoretical reason, often called speculative reason, the use of reason to decide what to follow. For example, agents use practical reason to decide whethe ...
'', v. II ''
Philosophical Logic Understood in a narrow sense, philosophical logic is the area of logic that studies the application of logical methods to philosophical problems, often in the form of extended logical systems like modal logic. Some theorists conceive philosophical ...
'', v. III '' Truth, Knowledge, and Modality'' *
Of Human Freedom
'' 1984. (1984 Tanner Lectures at the
University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the R ...
) *''Filosofisia tutkielmia'' (Philosophical Dissertations), in Finnish, 1985 *''Vetenskapen och förnuftet'' (Science and Reason), in Swedish, 1986 *''Minervan Pöllö'' (The Owl of Minerva), in Finnish, 1991 *''Myten om framsteget'' (The Myth of Progress), in Swedish, 1993 *''The Tree of Knowledge'', 1993 *''Att förstå sin samtid'' (To Understand one's own Time), in Swedish, 1994 *''Six Essays in Philosophical Logic'', 1996 *''Viimeisistä ajoista. Ajatusleikki'' (On the End Times: A Thought Experiment.), in Finnish, 1997 *''Logiikka ja humanismi'' (''Logic and Humanism''), in Finnish, 1998 *''In the Shadow of Descartes'', 1998 *''Mitt liv som jag minns det'' (My Life as I Remember it), in Swedish, 2001 Von Wright edited posthumous publications by
Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian-British philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He is consi ...
, which were published by Blackwell (unless otherwise stated): * 1961. ''Notebooks 1914-1916''. * 1967. ''Zettel'' (Translated into English as ''Culture and Value''). * 1969. ''On Certainty''. * 1971. ''ProtoTractatus—An Early Version of Tractatus Logico- Philosophicus''.
Cornell University Press The Cornell University Press is the university press of Cornell University; currently housed in Sage House, the former residence of Henry William Sage. It was first established in 1869, making it the first university publishing enterprise in ...
. * 1973. ''Letters to C.K. Ogden with Comments on the English Translation of the
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus The ''Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus'' (widely abbreviated and cited as TLP) is a book-length philosophical work by the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein which deals with the relationship between language and reality and aims to define th ...
''. * 1974. ''Letters to Russell, Keynes and Moore''. * 1978 (1956). ''Remarks on the Foundations of Mathematics''. * 1980. ''Remarks on the Philosophy of Psychology'', Vols 1–2. * 1980. ''Culture and Value'' (English translation of ''Zettel''). * 1982. ''Last Writings on the Philosophy of Psychology'', Vols. 1–2, 1992. Von Wright also edited extracts from the diary of
David Pinsent David Hume Pinsent (; 24 May 1891 – 8 May 1918) was a collaborator of the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein's ''Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus'' (1922) is dedicated to Pinsent's memory. Early life Pinsent, a descendant of ...
, also published by Blackwell: * 1990. '' A Portrait of Wittgenstein as a Young Man: From the Diary of David Hume Pinsent 1912–1914''. . *For more complete publication details see "Bibliography of the Writings of Georg Henrik von Wright" (in Schilpp, 1989) and "The Georg Henrik von Wright-Bibliography" (2005).


Notes


References


Sources


Von Wright Obituary.
''The Guardian'', 4 July 2003.
G. H. von Wright.
''Encyclopædia Britannica.'' (Archived by
Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...
.)


Further reading

* *


External links


"G. H. von Wright"
obituary by Brian McGuinness in ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
,'' 24 June 2003 (Archived by
Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...
)
Georg Henrik Wright
in the National Biography of Finland.
Georg Henrik von Wright in ''375 humanists''.
Faculty of Arts, University of Helsinki, 13 May 2015. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Georg Henrik 1916 births 2003 deaths 20th-century essayists 20th-century Finnish philosophers 21st-century essayists 21st-century Finnish philosophers 20th-century Finnish nobility 21st-century Finnish nobility Bertrand Russell Professors of Philosophy Academic personnel of the University of Helsinki Action theorists Analytic philosophers Fellows of the British Academy Finnish essayists Finnish humanists Finnish people of Scottish descent Finnish writers in Swedish Logicians Modal logicians Moral philosophers People from Uusimaa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Philosophers of culture Philosophers of ethics and morality Philosophers of language Philosophers of logic Philosophers of mind Philosophers of science Philosophy writers Rationality theorists Selma Lagerlöf Prize winners University of Helsinki alumni Virtue ethicists Writers from Helsinki Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences