Sir William Mitchell (27 March 186124 June 1962) was an Australian philosopher and academic. He was Professor of English Language, Literature, Mental and

Moral Philosophy 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 ma ...

at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

from 1894–1922, Vice-Chancellor 1916–1942 and Chancellor 1942–1948.

Education

Mitchell was educated at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

where he graduated with a

Master of Arts 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 ...

degree with first class honors in 1886, followed by a

doctor of science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

in 1891 from the Department of Mental Science. At Edinburgh, Mitchell's thesis was supervised by

Alexander Campbell Fraser Alexander Campbell Fraser (3 September 1819 – 2 December 1914) was a Scottish theologian and philosopher. Life He was born in the manse at Ardchattan, Argyll, the son of the parish minister, Rev Hugh Fraser, and his wife, Maria Helen Camp ...

, and he was assistant to

Henry Calderwood Rev Henry Calderwood FRSE LLD (10 May 1830, Peebles – 19 November 1897, Edinburgh) was a Scottish minister and philosopher. Life He was born in Peebles on 10 May 1830, the son of William Calderwood, a corn merchant, and his wife Elizabeth ...

Career

Mitchell was an enthusiast for literary societies, and was in 1883 a foundation member of the

South Australian Literary Societies' Union South Australian Literary Societies' Union (1883–1926) was a peak or advocacy organisation of literary societies in South Australia. It organised competitions between the member societies and established a "Union Parliament" to debate issues o ...

, served as its president in 1901, and remained a staunch supporter of the Union in 1937. Mitchell was Professor of English Language, Literature, Mental and

at the

from 1894–1922. He also held the position of Vice-Chancellor from 1916–1942 and was Chancellor from 1942–1948. Mitchell wrote about issues overlapping

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 addre ...

and

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

neurology Neurology (from el, wikt:νεῦρον, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine), medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of co ...

quantum theory Quantum theory may refer to: Science *Quantum mechanics, a major field of physics *Old quantum theory, predating modern quantum mechanics * Quantum field theory, an area of quantum mechanics that includes: ** Quantum electrodynamics ** Quantum ...

and

philosophical Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

. His work is the subject of a book by W. Martin Davies, ''The Philosophy of Sir William Mitchell, 1861–1962 : A Mind's Own Place'' (2003) . He is also the benefactor of The Professor Sir William Mitchell Prize for Philosophy, Level II, and gives his name to the South Australian Electoral District of Mitchell.

Personal life

On 18 January 1900 William Mitchell married Marjory Erlistoun Barr Smith (1868 – 3 August 1913), fourth daughter of

Robert Barr Smith Robert Barr Smith (4 February 1824 – 20 November 1915) was an Australian businessman and philanthropist in Adelaide, South Australia. He was a partner in Elder Smith and Company from 1863 (now now Elders Limited). Early life and education Smi ...

. Their daughter Joanna "Nan" Mitchell (1900– ) married Major David Thompson, of Farnham House,

Farnham Royal Farnham Royal is a village and civil parish within Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the south of the county, immediately north of Slough (with which it is contiguous), and around 22 miles west of Charing Cross, Central London. Within the par ...

. Buckinghamshire c. 1 May 1925.

Honours

Mitchell was knighted in 1927.

Footnotes

References

External links

William Mitchell
article in the ''

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy The ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' (''IEP'') is a scholarly online encyclopedia, dealing with philosophy, philosophical topics, and philosophers. The IEP combines open access publication with peer reviewed publication of original pape ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, William 1861 births 1962 deaths People from Falkirk 20th-century Australian philosophers Scottish emigrants to Australia University of Adelaide faculty Vice-Chancellors of the University of Adelaide Australian centenarians Men centenarians Australian Knights Bachelor