Henry Babcock Veatch Jr. (September 26, 1911 – July 9, 1999) was an American

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 ...

Life and career

Veatch was born September 26, 1911, in

Evansville Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in S ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. He attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, where he received his

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

and

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degrees and obtained his PhD in 1937. Veatch came to the Philosophy Department at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

as an instructor in 1937. He was named assistant professor in 1941 and full professor in 1952. While at Indiana University, Veatch received many awards and honors. In 1954, he became the first recipient of the Frederick Bachman Lieber Award for Distinguished Teaching. He was popular with his students and was awarded the

Sigma Delta Chi The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, letter ...

"Brown Derby" Award for most popular professor. In 1961, Veatch was named Distinguished Service Professor. In 1965, Veatch left IU for

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

where he remained until 1973. He then went to

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, where he was philosophy department chair from 1973 to 1976. Veatch also had visiting professorships at

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...

Haverford College Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...

and St. Thomas University. In 1983, he retired as a distinguished professor and returned to Bloomington. Veatch was active in the Episcopal Church and served as president of th
American Catholic Philosophical Association
He served as president of the

Metaphysical Society of America The Metaphysical Society of America (MSA) is a philosophical organization founded by Paul Weiss in 1950. As stated in its constitution, "The purpose of the Metaphysical Society of America is the study of reality." The society is a member of the ...

in 1961. In 1970–71 he served as president of the Western Division of the

American Philosophical Association The American Philosophical Association (APA) is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarly ...

. He was a member of the

Guild of Scholars of The Episcopal Church The Guild of Scholars of the Episcopal Church is a society of lay Episcopal academics, teachers, artists and professional practitioners which for many years met annually at General Theological Seminary in New York in November of each year. Sinc ...

. Henry Veatch died in Bloomington,

. Indiana University maintains th
archive of his collected papers (1941–1997)

Philosophy

Veatch was a major proponent of

rationalism In philosophy, rationalism is the epistemological view that "regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge" or "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification".Lacey, A.R. (1996), ''A Dictionary of Philosophy' ...

, an authority on

Thomistic philosophy Thomism is the philosophical and theological school that arose as a legacy of the work and thought of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), the Dominican philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. In philosophy, Aquinas' disputed questions ...

, and one of the leading neo- Aristotelian thinkers of his time. He opposed such modern and contemporary developments as the " transcendental turn" and the "

linguistic turn The linguistic turn was a major development in Western philosophy during the early 20th century, the most important characteristic of which is the focusing of philosophy and the other humanities primarily on the relations between language, langua ...

." A staunch advocate of plain speaking and "

Hoosier Hoosier is the official demonym for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana. The origin of the term remains a matter of debate, but "Hoosier" was in general use by the 1840s, having been popularized by Richmond resident John Finley's 1833 poem "T ...

" common sense, in philosophy and elsewhere, he argued on behalf of realist

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

and practical

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns m ...

.Rocco Porecco and Ronald Duska, "Memorial Minutes: Henry Veatch 1911–1999," ''Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association'', vol. 73, no. 2 (Nov/1999), pp. 31–2. Veatch's most widely read book was ''Rational Man: A Modern Interpretation of Aristotelian Ethics'' (1962) which explicitly offered a rationalist counterpoint to William Barrett's well-known study in

existential philosophy Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and valu ...

, '' Irrational Man'' (1958).

Major works

*''Concerning the Ontological Status of Logical Forms'' (1948) *''Aristotelian and Mathematical Logic (1950) *''In Defense of the Syllogism'' (1950) *''Metaphysics and the Paradoxes'' (1952) *'' Intentional Logic: A Logic Based on Philosophical Realism'' (1952) *''Realism and Nominalism Revisited'' (1954) *''Logic as a Human Instrument'' (1959, with Francis Parker) *''Rational Man: A Modern Interpretation of Aristotelian Ethics'' (1962) *''The Truths of Metaphysics'' (1964) *''Non-cognitivism in Ethics: A modest proposal for its diagnosis and cure'' (1966) *''Two Logics: the Conflict between Classical and Neo-Analytic Philosophy'' (1969) *''For an Ontology of Morals: A Critique of Contemporary Ethical Theory '' (1971) *''Aristotle: A Contemporary Appreciation'' (1974) *''Human Rights: Fact or Fancy'' (1985) *''Swimming Against the Current in Contemporary Philosophy'' (1990)

Notes

External links

Henry Babcock Veatch papers, 1941-1997
at the Indiana University Archives. {{DEFAULTSORT:Veatch, Henry Babcock 1911 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American philosophers 20th-century American educators American Episcopalians American logicians American philosophy academics Anglican philosophers Aristotelian philosophers Georgetown University faculty Harvard University alumni Harvard University staff Indiana University faculty Metaphysicians Northwestern University faculty People from Evansville, Indiana Presidents of the Metaphysical Society of America

Life and career

Philosophy

Major works

See also

Notes

External links