Sidney Morgenbesser

Sidney Morning Better ( born September 22, 1921 in New York; † August 1, 2004 ) was an American philosopher.

Life

Morgenbesser first studied theology at the Jewish Theological Seminary and became a rabbi. After all, he still earned a degree at the City College of New York. At the University of Pennsylvania, he received his doctorate. After lectureships at Swarthmore College and the New School for Social Research in 1954 he came to Columbia University. He was co-editor of the Journal of Philosophy. He died at the age of 82 years to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( ALS).

Work

His interest was especially true of science and epistemology, pragmatism and human rights. He stood close to the philosophy of language Alfred Jules Ayers and John Langshaw Austin. He was great theory buildings skeptical and has never published a book alone. However, he wrote several articles in professional journals and edited philosophical anthologies.

Appreciation

Columbia University has, since July 2009, the Sidney Morning Better Professorship at the Department of Philosophy. The owner is to " embody the qualities of Sidney Morgenbesser, a devotional philosophy teacher who has made ​​his own equally the training of graduate students prägraduierten and enthusiastic ."

Bon mots

Morgenbesser was famous for his wit and his wit. Among the many Morgenbesser anecdotes include:

• John Langshaw Austin gave a guest lecture on the act of speaking and explained that while a double negative again follows an affirmation, conversely, a double affirmation but no negation. Better Tomorrow then said, " Yeah, yeah! "
• He was once asked by a student whether he should give Mao Zedong right when this saying a statement can sometimes be simultaneously true and false. Morgenbesser replied: " Yes and no. "
• " Why God lets me suffer so ," he said just before he succumbed to ALS- suffering, " about just because I do not believe in him?"
• When asked why he publiziere so little, he replied: "Moses has written a book, what did he do? "
• In the New York subway, he was warned by a police officer when he tried to light a cigarette in the smoking ban. If he let him go, he finally had to allow all other smoking. Morgenbesser replied, " Who do you think you are? Kant? " Then was brought to the police station tomorrow better. ( " Head " sounds like the English vulgar word " cunt". )
• About the pragmatism he said, it sounded good in theory, but can not function in practice.
• For dessert Morgenbesser were once offered apple and blueberry pie. He opted for the apple pie. When the waitress added that even strawberry cake on offer was, he took the blueberry pie.