William Ritchie Sorley, FBA (; 4 November 1855 – 28 July 1935), usually cited as W. R. Sorley, was a Scottish philosopher. A Gifford Lecturer, he was one of the British Idealist school of thinkers, with interests in

ethics 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, concer ...

. He was opposed to women being admitted as students to the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

Life and career

William Ritchie Sorley was born in Selkirk, Scotland, the son of Anna Ritchie and William Sorley, a Free Church of Scotland minister. He was educated first 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 took a degree in philosophy and mathematics. This was followed by

New College, Edinburgh New College is a historic building at the University of Edinburgh which houses the university's School of Divinity. It is one of the largest and most renowned centres for studies in Theology and Religious Studies in the United Kingdom. Students ...

where he studied theology with the intention of training for the church. He gave this up, and after winning the Shaw Fellowship he spent a year at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

where he took Part II of the Moral Sciences Tripos. He subsequently spent several years at Cambridge where he was lecturer and in 1883 he was elected a Fellow at Trinity. In 1886, he was appointed to a post at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. After two years he was appointed to a professorship at

University College Cardiff , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

, succeeding Andrew Seth as Professor of Logic and Philosophy. In 1894 he was appointed Regius Professor of Moral Philosophy at the

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

, and finally in 1900 he succeeded

Henry Sidgwick Henry Sidgwick (; 31 May 1838 – 28 August 1900) was an English utilitarian In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for all affected i ...

in the Knightbridge Professorship at the

. He held this post until his retirement in 1933. He received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

Legum Doctor Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the ear ...

'' (LLD) from the

in March 1900, and was made a Fellow of the British Academy in 1905. Sorley's main philosophical interest was the place of moral values in the constitution of the universe. He thought that moral values are objective- a view he explains in his

Gifford lectures The Gifford Lectures () are an annual series of lectures which were established in 1887 by the will of Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford. Their purpose is to "promote and diffuse the study of natural theology in the widest sense of the term – in o ...

and in his earlv work on the ethics of naturalism. What is morally good is what we are morally bound to pursue within our ability to do so. If it does not lie within our power to act in a certain way, then we are not bound to pursue it and it cannot be a moral value. He is now remembered for hi
''A History of British Philosophy to 1900''
published in 1920, with its idiosyncratic slant, as a retrospective view from the point of view of British Idealism. Among his other published works are
''The Ethics of Naturalism: a Criticism''
(second edition 1904)
''The Moral Life and Moral Worth''
(1911), and his

Gifford Lectures The Gifford Lectures () are an annual series of lectures which were established in 1887 by the will of Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford. Their purpose is to "promote and diffuse the study of natural theology in the widest sense of the term – in o ...

which he gave in 1914-15 and were published under the titl
''Moral Values and the Idea of God''
(second edition 1921). In his obituary, J.H. Muirhead said of this: "I can remember the sense of freshness and power that this book gave us all at the time". The poet Charles Sorley was his son. During the long argument about admitting women as students at Cambridge, there were votes by the Senate in 1897 and again in 1920, following intense public debates among lecturers and undergraduates, and the circulation of many flysheets propounding arguments for and against. Sorley was persistently hostile to any presence of women in Cambridge and argued that they were not after equality but sought power and would damage university life. He authored several flysheets with Prof. Ridgeway - both wanted women totally excluded from Cambridge and instead a separate women's university set up for them. He died in Cambridge on 28 July 1935 aged 79, following an illness from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

Publications

* ''The Ethics of Naturalism'' (Edinburgh, 1885) * ''Recent Tendencies in Ethics'' (Edinburgh, 1904) * ''The Moral Life and Moral Worth'' (Cambridge, 1911)
''A History of English Philosophy''
(Cambridge, 1920)

References

External links

* * *
''William Ritchie Sorley''
some biographical notes and Lectures available from the

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Sorley, William Ritchie 1855 births 1935 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Idealists Scottish philosophers 20th-century Scottish historians People from Selkirk, Scottish Borders 19th-century Scottish people Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Academics of Cardiff University Academics of the University of Aberdeen Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge Fellows of the British Academy Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Knightbridge Professors of Philosophy