John Wisdom

This article is about the philosopher. For his cousin, a contributor to philosophy and to psychoanalysis, see John Oulton Wisdom. For the U.S. court of appeals judge, see John Minor Wisdom.
John Wisdom
Born
Arthur John Terence Dibben Wisdom

12 September 1904
Leyton, Essex
Died9 December 1993 (aged 89)
Cambridge
Academic background
Alma materFitzwilliam House, Cambridge
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Cambridge (1934–1968), University of Oregon (1968–1972)

Arthur John Terence Dibben Wisdom (12 September 1904, in Leyton, Essex – 9 December 1993, in Cambridge),[1] usually cited as John Wisdom, was a leading British philosopher considered to be an ordinary language philosopher, a philosopher of mind and a metaphysician. He was influenced by G.E. Moore, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Sigmund Freud, and in turn explained and extended their work.

Wisdom was educated at Aldeburgh Lodge School, Suffolk, and Fitzwilliam House, Cambridge, where he graduated with a first-class BA degree in Moral Sciences in 1924.[2] He is not to be confused with the philosopher John Oulton Wisdom (1908–1993), his cousin, who shared his interest in psychoanalysis.[3][4]

  1. ^ Ellis, Anthony (2006), "Wisdom, Arthur John Terence", in Grayling, A.C; Goulder, Naomi; Pyle, Andrew (eds.), The Continuum Encyclopedia of British Philosophy, Continuum, doi:10.1093/acref/9780199754694.001.0001, hdl:11693/51028, ISBN 9780199754694, retrieved 4 February 2019
  2. ^ "WISDOM, Prof. Arthur John Terence Dibben". Who's Who & Who Was Who. Vol. 2019 (online ed.). A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ Passmore, John (1917). A Hundred Years Of Philosophy. Gerald Duckworth and Co. pp. 437. It strikes one as odd that a philosopher should be called 'Wisdom'; that two bearers of the name should be contemporary philosophers passes beyond the limits of the reasonable; that they should both be interested in psycho-analysis has produced in many minds the justifiable conviction that the two are one. But it must be none the less insisted that J. O. Wisdom of the London School of Economics ..is not identical with his cousin Professor John Wisdom of the University of Cambridge.
  4. ^ Jarvie, I.C. "Obituary: J. O. Wisdom". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. J. O. WISDOM was an important contributor to philosophy and to psychoanalysis. To the confusion of some he shared both interests and his apposite surname with his cousin the Cambridge professor J. A. T. D. Wisdom.