Raymond Klibansky, (October 15, 1905 – August 5, 2005) was a German-
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
historian of philosophy and
art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
.
Biography
Born in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, to Rosa Scheidt and Hermann Klibansky, he was educated at the
University of Kiel
Kiel University, officially the Christian-Albrecht University of Kiel, (german: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in ...
,
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vo ...
and
Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg
}
Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
, where he received a Ph.D. in 1928. From 1927 to 1933 he was an assistant at the Heidelberg Academy and from 1931 until 1933 he was a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Heidelberg. In 1933 he was no longer able to teach since he was a
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
.
In 1933 he moved with his family to
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and then to
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
finally setting in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
,
where he was a lecturer at
Oriel College, Oxford, from 1936 until 1946.
He became a British citizen in 1938, and during the Second World War was attached to the
Political Warfare Executive
During World War II, the Political Warfare Executive (PWE) was a British clandestine body created to produce and disseminate both white and black propaganda, with the aim of damaging enemy morale and sustaining the morale of countries occupied ...
, based at
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey (), occupying the east of the village of Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the family seat of the Duke of Bedford. Although it is still a family home to the current duke, it is open on specified days to visitors, ...
.
He worked at first on Germany, then on preparation for the allied invasion of Italy, and after the war on the denazification programme in Germany.
In 1946 Klibansky became the Frothingham Professor of Logic and Metaphysics at
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 ...
; he also lectured at the
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...
.
From 1966 to 1969 he was president of the International Institute of Philosophy, and subsequently its honorary president.
He was a fellow of
Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Located in north Oxford along the River Cherwell, Wolfson is an all-graduate college with around sixty governing body fellows, in addition to both research a ...
, from 1981 to 1995 and thereafter an honorary fellow of that college.
In 1999 he was made a Grand Officer of the
National Order of Quebec
The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governo ...
. In 2000 he was made a Companion of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the cen ...
in recognition for being "one of the greatest intellectuals of our time".
The Raymond Klibansky Prizes were formerly awarded each year for the best books in the
humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...
that had received support from the Aid to Scholarly Publications Programme (ASPP), part of the
Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
The Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (french: Fédération canadienne des sciences humaines), also known as the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, is a member-based organization and the national voice for r ...
. One prize each was awarded to the best English book and the best French book. The prizes are now called simply the Canada Prizes/Prix du Canada.
Selected bibliography
* ''Ein Proklos-Fund und seine Bedeutung'', Heidelberg 1929 (Sitzungsberichte der Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften. Philosophisch-historische Klasse, vol. 19, 1928–29, n. 5)
* ''The Continuity of the Platonic Tradition during the Middle Ages'', London 1939 (repr. 1981)
* ''Le philosophe et la mémoire du siècle: tolérance, liberté et philosophie. Entretiens avec Georges Leroux'',
Les Belles Lettres
Les Belles Lettres is a French publisher specialising in the publication of ancient texts such as the '' Collection Budé''.
The publishing house, originally named ''Société Les Belles Lettres pour le développement de la culture classique'', ...
, Paris 1998
* ''Idées sans frontières. Histoire et structures de l’Institut international de philosophie'' (with Ethel Groffier), Les Belles Lettres, Paris 2005
References
Tomm, Jillian. "The Imprint of the Scholar: An Analysis of the Printed Books of McGill University's Raymond Klibansky Collection" unpublished PhD dissertation, McGill University, 2012.
External links
*
*
Raymond Klibanskyat
The Canadian Encyclopedia
''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage.
Available f ...
The Raymond Klibansky Collectionat McGill Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klibansky, Raymond
1905 births
2005 deaths
20th-century German philosophers
Canadian philosophers
Jewish Canadian writers
Companions of the Order of Canada
Fellows of Oriel College, Oxford
Fellows of Wolfson College, Oxford
Grand Officers of the National Order of Quebec
Jewish philosophers
Academic staff of McGill University
German historians of philosophy
Canadian historians of philosophy
Scholars of modern philosophy
Scholars of medieval philosophy
German male non-fiction writers
Corresponding Fellows of the Medieval Academy of America
German expatriates in France
German expatriates in the United Kingdom
German emigrants to Canada