Diogenes Allen (October 17, 1932 – January 13, 2013) was an American philosopher and theologian who served as the Stuart Professor of Philosophy at

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of ...

. He was an

ordain Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

ed minister in the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, which he served from 1958. He died in

Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania Newtown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,248 at the 2010 census. It is located just west of the Trenton, New Jersey metropolitan area, and is part of the larger Philadelphia metropolitan area. It is ...

Early life and education

Allen was born in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

, and graduated from the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

in 1954. He then began graduate study at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, but, after being awarded a

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

, he matriculated to

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its founder, Sir Thomas White, intended to pro ...

. There he studied

philosophy 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 ...

and met his wife Jane, a fellow student. After returning to America, Allen earned a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...

in 1959. He was called to a

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

ate in

Windham, New Hampshire Windham is a suburban town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 15,817, up from 13,592 in 2010. History The area was initially home to the Pawtucket Native Americans. Scots-Irish immigran ...

, in 1958, and ordained in what is now the Presbyterian Church (USA) the following year. Shortly thereafter he enrolled at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Graduate School to study for a PhD in

, which was awarded in 1965.

University career

Allen began his teaching career in 1964 at

York University, Toronto York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,000 faculty and staf ...

. In 1967,

offered him the position of associate professor of philosophy, which, he accepted. In 1974, he was appointed to a full professorship there and in 1981 was named Stuart Professor of Philosophy. By the time of his retirement in 2002, he had served the faculty for thirty-five years and had become an authority on

Gottfried Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz . ( – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat. He is one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of mathem ...

and an influential interpreter of

Simone Weil Simone Adolphine Weil ( , ; 3 February 1909 – 24 August 1943) was a French philosopher, mystic, and political activist. Over 2,500 scholarly works have been published about her, including close analyses and readings of her work, since 1995. ...

and

Søren Kierkegaard Søren Aabye Kierkegaard ( , , ; 5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855) was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He wrote critical texts on ...

Awards

Diogenes Allen's numerous awards include a

Rockefeller Fellowship The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carn ...

; a

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal i ...

Fellowship; research

fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

s given by the

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The associ ...

and the Center for Theological Inquiry; a Pew Evangelical Scholarship; and two

John Templeton Foundation The John Templeton Foundation (Templeton Foundation) is a philanthropic organization that reflects the ideas of its founder, John Templeton, who became wealthy via a career as a contrarian investor, and wanted to support progress in religious an ...

Awards for Best Courses in Science and Religion. He is also the recipient of an Outstanding American Educator Award in 1974; a past member of the executive board of the

Society of Christian Philosophers The Society of Christian Philosophers (SCP) was founded in 1978. The society is open to anyone interested in philosophy who considers himself or herself a Christian. Membership is not restricted to any particular "school" of philosophy or to any ...

; a co-founder and member of the executive board of the American Weil Society; and a member of the board of directors of the Ecumenical Institute of Canada.

Publications

* ''Leibniz' Theodicy'' (1966) * ''The Reasonableness of Faith'' (1968) * ''Finding Our Father'' (1974, republished as ''The Path of Perfect Love'' in 1992) * ''Between Two Worlds'' (1977, republished as ''Temptation'' in 1986) * ''Traces of God in a Frequently Hostile World'' (1981) * ''Three Outsiders: Pascal, Kierkegaard and Simone Weil'' (1983) * ''Mechanical Explanation and the Ultimate Origin of the Universe according to Leibniz'' (1983) * ''Philosophy for Understanding Theology'' (1985) * ''Love: Christian Romance, Marriage and Friendship'' (1987) * ''Spirituality and Theology: Essays in Honor of Diogenes Allen'', edited Eric Springsted (1988). * ''Christian Belief in a Postmodern World: The Full Wealth of Conviction'' (1989) * ''Quest: The Search for Meaning through Christ'' (1990) * ''Primary Readings in Philosophy for Understanding Theology'' (1992), with co-editor Eric O. Springsted. * ''Nature, Spirit and Community: Issues in the Thought of Simone Weil'' (1994) * '' Spiritual Theology: The Theology of Yesterday for Help Today'' (1997) * '' Steps Along the Way: A Spiritual Autobiography'' (2002) * ''Philosophy for Understanding Theology'' (2007), second edition, with 2 new chapters on Postmodern Christian theology by Eric O. Springsted. * Theology for a Troubled Believer: An Introduction to the Christian Faith (2010) * and over fifty journal articles.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Diogenes Philosophers from Kentucky American Christian theologians American Presbyterian ministers American Rhodes Scholars University of Kentucky alumni Princeton University alumni Calvinist and Reformed philosophers Princeton Theological Seminary faculty Philosophers from New Jersey 1932 births 2013 deaths Alumni of St John's College, Oxford Yale Divinity School alumni American writers of Greek descent

Early life and education

University career

Awards

Publications

See also

References