John David Lewis (March 17, 1955 – January 3, 2012) was a political scientist, historian and
Objectivist scholar who held the post of visiting associate professor in the
Philosophy, Politics and Economics Program at
Duke University from 2008 to 2012, as well as Associate Professor of Business at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
. Lewis was also an Anthem Fellow for Objectivist Scholarship.
Lewis received his PhD in classical studies at
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...
in 2001, with the dissertation, ''Solon’s Polis as Kosmos: Intellectual, Moral and Political Integration in Archaic Athens''. He taught at the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
from 2000-2001. From 2001 to 2008, he was a professor in the History and Political Science Department at
Ashland University,
where contention surrounding his denial of promotion to tenured professor drew national attention.
Lewis was a member of the
American Political Science Association, the
Association of Ancient Historians The Association of Ancient Historians (AAH) is the oldest and largest academic organization in the US for scholars of the history of the Ancient Mediterranean World.
HISTORY
The Association of Ancient Historians had its origins in 1969, when a num ...
, the
Society for Military History
The Society for Military History is a United States–based international organization of scholars who research, write, and teach military history of all time periods and places. It includes naval history, air power history, and studies of technol ...
, the
American Philological Association, and the
Cambridge Philological Society.
Lewis published three books, was a contributing editor to ''
The Objective Standard
Objectivist periodicals are a variety of academic journals, magazines, and newsletters with an editorial perspective explicitly based on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. Several early Objectivist periodicals were edited by Rand. She later end ...
'' and contributed to ''Capitalism Magazine'' and contributed to multiple publications including ''Journal of Business Ethics'', ''Social Philosophy and Policy'', ''Polis'', ''Dike'', and ''Bryn Mawr Classical Review''. Lewis frequently spoke at Objectivist conferences and
Tea Party
A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...
events. He also spoke on the morality of free markets in medicine, arguing that innovators ought to be freed from unnecessary regulation.
In 2008 Lewis held a presentation at the "Facing Jihad" conference in Jerusalem, a
counter-jihad
Counter-jihad, also spelled counterjihad and known as the counter-jihad movement, is a self-titled political current loosely consisting of authors, bloggers, think tanks, street movements and campaign organisations all linked by apocalyptic bel ...
summit hosted by MK
Aryeh Eldad
Aryeh Eldad, M.D. ( he, אריה אלדד, born 1 May 1950) is an Israeli physician, politician and former medical officer.
Eldad is a professor of medicine, and was head of the plastic surgery and burns unit at the Hadassah Medical Center. He w ...
that included a screening of the film ''
Fitna'' by
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders (; born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the Party for Freedom (''Partij voor de Vrijheid'' – PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives (''Tweede Kamer'' ...
.
Lewis died on January 3, 2012, after a long battle with cancer.
He was 56.
Books
*''Nothing Less than Victory: Decisive Wars and the Lessons of History'' (Princeton University, March 2010)
*''Solon the Thinker: Political Thought in Archaic Athens'' (Duckworth Press, 2006) (pb. edn. 2008)
*''Early Greek Lawgivers'' (Bristol Classical Press, August 2007)
References
External links
Lewis's website and blogCommentarypublished in the ''Huffington Post''
An interview with John David Lewis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, John David
American atheists
Objectivism scholars
Objectivists
1955 births
2012 deaths
Duke University faculty
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty
Ashland University faculty
Alumni of the University of Cambridge