Richard Popkin

Richard H. Popkin (* December 27, 1923 in New York City; † 14 April 2005 in Los Angeles ) was an American historian of philosophy. He was dedicated to the skepticism, the Enlightenment and modern Jewish philosopher. His standard work The History of Scepticism from Erasmus to Descartes ( 1960) demonstrated the importance of skepticism Pyrrhonism next to the embossed of metaphysics and Christian theology European philosophy. In later works he analyzed the Jewish and Christian millenarianism and messianism of the early modern period.

Life

Richard Popkin was born in Manhattan. He grew up in a secular Jewish family. His parents Louis and Zelda Popkin operated a public relations agency. They were interested and engaged for a variety of non-religious Jewish affairs. Among other things, they were informed about the Hitler dictatorship and campaigned for plans for emigration of Jews. They supported reforms of the government and communist initiatives. Zelda Popkin first published article, and later detective stories and novels. The father was - in addition to his commitment to Jewish causes - even as campaign manager active. Popkin called him the ' center ' of family life.

Richard Popkin graduated from New York's Columbia University with bachelor's and Ph. D. from (1950). He taught at various universities, the University of Connecticut, University of Iowa, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of California at San Diego (Herbert Marcuse taught there at that time ). Then Popkin was at Washington University in St. Louis and at the University of California at Los Angeles. Popkin was a visiting professor at Berkeley, Brandeis University, Duke University, Emory University, Tel Aviv University, and Distinguished Professor of the City University of New York.

Popkin founded ( with Paul Dibon ) and directed the series International Archives of the History of Ideas, and he was the first editor of the Journal of the History of Philosophy. Among his honors is the Nicholas Murray Butler Medal from Columbia University. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Richard Popkin spent his twilight years in Pacific Palisades.

Family

Popkin was from his wife, Juliet (born Greenstone ), with whom he had been married since 1944 and two of her three children, Jeremy Popkin ( b. 1948 ) and Susan Popkin (* 1961) survived. The daughter Margaret Popkin ( born 1950 ), a civil rights lawyer ( she became involved in El Salvador during the period of bloody clashes in the 1980s ) was in 2005 died.

Writings (selection )

Popkin was known beyond the subject by means of its opinions on the Warren Report on the Kennedy assassination. He published opinions in the New York Review of Books and the book The Second Oswald ( 1966), the presumed existence more than one assassin.

  • The History of Scepticism from Erasmus to Descartes. Assen, 1960. Various Advanced Naeuausgaben. Last as: The History of Scepticism from Savanarola to Bayle. 2003, ISBN 0-19-510768-3.
  • The High Road to Pyrrhonism. Austin Hill, San Diego, CA, 1980. Essays.
  • Isaac la Peyrere (1596-1676): His Life, Work and Influence. E. J. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands. In 1987.
  • The Third Force in Seventeenth - Century Thought. . EJ Brill, Leiden 1992, 22 essays, in Hume 's Racism Reconsidered, pp. 64-75.
  • Spinoza. Oxford, 2004.
  • Disputing Christianity; The 400 - Year-Old Debate Over Rabbi Ben Abraham Isac Troki 's Classic argument. Prometheus, Amherst, 2007. This book was published completed by his son Jeremy Popkin.
  • With all the flaws; Memories of a historian of philosophy. Meiner, Hamburg, 2008. 2 autobiographical essays, and a history of philosophy work Popkins. Bibliography.
  • Avrum Stroll with: Philosophy Made Simple. Doubleday, New York 1956, ISBN 0-385-42533-3
  • With Craig Brush Pierre Bayle 's Historical and Cultural Dictionary. In 1965. Translated and edited by RH Popkin.
  • With Charles B. Schmitt: Scepticism from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. Harowitz, Wiesbaden 1987.
  • Millenarianism and Messianism in English Literature and Thought, 1650-1800. E. J. Brill, Leiden 1988.
  • With Y. Kaplan and H. Méchoulan: Menasseh ben Israel and his World. E. J. Brill, Leiden 1989.
  • With Arjo Vanderjagt: Scepticism and Irreligion in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. E. J. Brill, Leiden 1993.
  • Scepticism in the History of Philosophy; A Pan - American Dialogue. Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1996.
  • The Columbia History of Western Philosophy. Columbia University Press, 1999, ISBN 0-231-10128-7
  • With David S. Katz: Messianic Revolution: Radical Religious Politics to the End of the Second Melenium. Hill & Wang, 2000.
  • With various editors: Millenarianism and Messianism in Early Modern European Culture. Kluwer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 2001. Volume I, with Matt Goldish: Jewish Messianism in the Early Modern World.
  • Volume II, Karl A. Kottman (eds.): Catholic Millenarianism; From Savonarola to the Abbé Grégoire.
  • Volume III, James E. Force: The Millenarian Turn; Millenarian Contexts of Science, Politics, the Everyday Anglo- American Life in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries.
  • Volume IV, with John Christian Laursen: Continental Mille Arians; Protestants, Catholics, Heretics.
  • Richard A. Watson, James E. Force ( ed.): The Sceptical Force in Modern Philosophy. Nijhoff, 1988 By: RH Popkin: Intellectual Autobiography, . Warts and All.
  • James E. Force and David S. Katz ( eds.): Everything Connects: In Conference with Richard H. Popkin. E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1999.
  • Jeremy Popkin (ed.): The Legacies of Richard H. Popkin. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 2009.
April 14 Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles David Hume Integrated Authority File
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