William S. Hatcher (1935–2005) was a mathematician, philosopher, educator and a member of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

. He held a doctorate in mathematics from the

University of Neuchatel 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, t ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, and bachelor's and master's degrees from

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 ...

Nashville 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 the ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. A specialist in the philosophical alloying of science and religion, for over thirty years he held university positions in North America, Europe, and Russia.

Biography

He was born in

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

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on 20 September 1935, and died on 27 November 2005.

Work and achievements

Hatcher is one of eight Platonist philosophers listed for the second half of the twentieth century in the '' Encyclopedie Philosophique Universelle''. Hatcher was the author of over fifty monographs, books, and articles in the mathematical sciences, logic and philosophy. Among the publications of which he is author or coauthor are: *''The Foundations of Mathematics'' (1968) *''Absolute Algebra'' (with Stephen Whitney, 1978) *''The Science of Religion'' (1980) *''The Logical Foundations of Mathematics'' (1982) *'' The Baha'i Faith: The Emerging Global Religion'' (1984) *''Logic and Logos: Essays on Science, Religion and Philosophy'' (1990)Review of ''Logic and Logos'': * *''The Law of Love Enshrined'' (1996) *''The Ethics of Authenticity'' (1997) *''Love, Power, and Justice'' (1998) *'' Minimalism: A Bridge between Classical Philosophy and the Baha'i Revelation'' (2002)

Relationship to the Baháʼí Faith

He served on

National Spiritual Assembly Spiritual Assembly is a term given by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to refer to elected councils that govern the Baháʼí Faith. Because the Baháʼí Faith has no clergy, they carry out the affairs of the community. In addition to existing at the local level ...

of the Baha'is of Canada (1983–91) as well as on the inaugural National Spiritual Assemblies of Switzerland (1962–65) and the Russian Federation (1996). He lived in Russia from 1993 to 1998. He was also a founding member of the Association for Baháʼí Studies.

Notes

References

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External links