John Lachs (July 17, 1934 – November 14, 2023) was a Hungarian-born American philosopher. He was Centennial Professor of Philosophy at
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
, where he began teaching in 1967. Lachs received his
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
from
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
in 1961. His primary focus was on American
philosophy (most prominently
George Santayana
Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, known in English as George Santayana (; December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952), was a Spanish and US-American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. Born in Spain, Santayana was raised ...
) and German
Idealism
In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected t ...
.
Biography
John Lachs was born in Budapest, Hungary, on July 17, 1934.
He emigrated to Canada as a child, and he received his B.A. and M.A. from
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...
in 1956 and 1957. At
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
, he wrote a dissertation on the philosophy of
George Santayana
Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, known in English as George Santayana (; December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952), was a Spanish and US-American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. Born in Spain, Santayana was raised ...
, graduating in 1961. He was a member of the
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
faculty from 1967 until his death and wrote a number of books and many articles over this period and before. In 1997 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 ...
. He was recognized as an outstanding teacher among Vanderbilt faculty, receiving the Graduate Teaching Award in 2000, the Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Freshmen Award in 1999, and the Madison Sarratt Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 1972.
Lachs tried to make his writing style highly accessible, for he was committed to making philosophical questions and their discussion come within the grasp of all his audiences. A
pragmatist in the tradition of
William James
William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States.
James is considered to be a leading thinker of the lat ...
and
Josiah Royce
Josiah Royce (; November 20, 1855 – September 14, 1916) was an American objective idealist philosopher and the founder of American idealism. His philosophical ideas included his version of personalism, defense of absolutism, idealism and his ...
, he was a longstanding member of the
William James Society and became its president in 2007.
A self-identified
libertarian, Lachs was the Vanderbilt faculty adviser of
Young Americans for Liberty
Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) is a libertarian, classical liberal and conservative student activism organization headquartered in Austin, Texas. Formed in 2008 in the aftermath of the Ron Paul 2008 presidential campaign, YAL establishes ch ...
. Among the prominent alumni whose Ph.D. dissertations he advised are many of the leading figures in
bioethics
Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, m ...
, pragmatism, and a number of public intellectuals, including
Glenn McGee, Paul Menzel, and
Herman Saatkamp. On April 3, 2013, he became one of three professors in Vanderbilt's history to receive the prestigious Alumni Education Award twice.
For many years Lachs was also a member of the editorial advisory board for ''Public Philosophy Journal''.
[ ]
Lachs died in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
, on November 14, 2023, at the age of 89.
Research area
His philosophical interests centred around human nature. This took him into metaphysics, philosophy of mind, political philosophy, and ethics. He had continuing research interests in American philosophy and German Idealism, along with research and teaching interests in medical and business ethics.
Lachs was the general editor of the ''Encyclopedia of American Philosophy''. An issue of ''The Journal of Speculative Philosophy'' was devoted to his essay "Both Better Off and Better: Moral Progress Amid Continuing Carnage," with responses from a half dozen philosophers.
Lachs was also chair 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 scholarl ...
's Centennial Committee, charged with celebrating the private value and social usefulness of philosophy. Plans were being made for activities throughout the country, ranging from radio programs to book signings and coffee house conversations, designed to show the relevance of philosophy to life.
Publications
A recipient of the
Herbert Schneider Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Philosophy in 1997, Lachs is also the author of the following books, among others:
* ''Intermediate Man''. Hackett Publishers, Indianapolis, 1981, paperback 1983.
* ''Mind and Philosophers''. Vanderbilt University Press, 1987.
* ''The Relevance of Philosophy to Life'', Vanderbilt University Press, 1995.
* ''In Love with Life'', Vanderbilt University Press, 1998.
* ''Thinking in the Ruins: Wittgenstein and Santayana''. Vanderbilt University Press, 2000.
* ''A Community of Individuals''. Routledge, 2003.
* ''The Philosophy of William Ernest Hocking'' (ed. with Micah Hester), Vanderbilt University Press 2001.
* ''"Human Natures,"'' Proceedings of the American Philosophical Association, 1990.
*
"Stoic Pragmatism"', Indiana University Press, 2012.
''Meddling: On the Virtue of Leaving Others Alone'' Indiana University Press, 2014.
References
Further reading
*Krzysztof Piotr Skowroński, 2023.
A Meaningful Life amidst a Pluralism of Cultures and Values: John Lachs's Stoic Pragmatism as a Philosophical and Cultural Project', Leiden-Boston: Brill.
*Krzysztof Piotr Skowroński, 2023.
La filosofía del pragmatismo estoico y sus ambiciones culturales', La Torre del Virrey: Revista de estudios culturales, num. 33.
*Krzysztof Piotr Skowroński, 2022.
Cultural Diversity and Clashing Narratives about National Culture: A Central European Stoic Pragmatist Perspective', Ethics&Bioethics (in Central Europe), vol. 12 (issue 3-4, December), pp. 212-220.
*Krzysztof Piotr Skowroński, 2021.
Stoic Pragmatist Ethics in the Time of Pandemic', Ethics&Bioethics (in Central Europe), vol. 11 (issue 1-2, June), pp. 82-91.
*Krzysztof Piotr Skowroński, 2020.
Santayana as a Stoic Pragmatist in John Lachs's Interpretation, Overheard in Seville: Bulletin of the George Santayana Society, no. 38, pp. 109-122.
*Krzysztof Piotr Skowroński, ed., 2018.
John Lachs's Practical Philosophy', Brill.
External links
Faculty Page at VanderbiltBerlin Practical Philosophy International Forum e.V.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lachs, John
1934 births
2023 deaths
Yale University alumni
Vanderbilt University faculty
People from Budapest
Presidents of the Metaphysical Society of America
American libertarians
Continental philosophers