Richard Rudolf Walzer

Richard Rudolf Walzer FBA (* July 14, 1900 in Berlin, † April 16, 1975 in Oxford ) was a German - British classical scholar, philosopher and orientalist. He specialized in Greek and Arabic philosophy and was a member of the British Academy.

Biography

He was born the son of a Jewish merchant Max Waltz and his wife Elfriede, put the 1918 graduating from the Werner Siemens Real Gymnasium in Berlin -Schöneberg from. He studied medicine and Hebrew at the Friedrich- Wilhelms- University of Berlin. After listening to lectures by Ulrich von Wilamowitz- Moellendorff, he moved in 1919 to Gräzistik.

In 1927, he completed a doctorate on Magna Moralia and Aristotle's ethics. He gave evidence for the prevailing view, according to which the Magna Moralia not originate from Aristotle, against the attempt Hans von Arnim, the MM expel an early work of Aristotle. In the same year he became an assistant at the University of Berlin, in 1932 he qualified for studies on the Unity of Herodotus historical work, was Associate Professor of Classical Philology. In his inaugural lecture on Classical Studies and Oriental Studies, he underlined the tradition of Greek thought in the Arab philosophy.

In 1933 he was dismissed as a Jew, as he and his wife visited Italy. Friends warned him of a return to Germany. Waltz remained until 1938 in Italy, taught Greek philosophy at the University of Rome and Heraclitus translated into Italian.

As well as Italy for Jews was dangerous, he moved to Britain. In 1942 he found a job at Oriel College, Oxford University. First, he was a lecturer in Greek philosophy. In 1945 he became a lecturer in medieval philosophy. 1950 Chair of late Greek and medieval Arabic philosophy was created for him. In 1962, he moved within the University of Oxford from Oriel College at the St Catherine 's College.

In 1952, he was also an honorary professor at the University of Hamburg. 1953 and 1954 he conducted research at the Institute for Advanced Study ( IAS) in Princeton, New Jersey. In 1956 he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. With Samuel Miklos Stern he gave in 1962 the journal Oriental Studies out.

Waltz was in 1927 with Martha Eva Sophie Cassirer, daughter of publisher Bruno Cassirer, married.

Works (selection)

• Magna Moralia and Aristotle's Ethics ( = New philological studies. H. 7, ZDB - ID 500328-3 ). Weidmannsche bookstore, Berlin 1929 ( the same time: Berlin, university and much expanded and redesigned dissertation, 1927).
• Galen's treatise on the medical experience: Preliminary report. In: Proceedings of the Prussian Academy of Sciences. Of Humanities class. 1932, ISSN 0933-8152, pp. 449-468 (Also offprint: de Gruyter, Berlin 1932).
• As editor: Aristotelis fragmenta Dialogorum ( = Testi della Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa Vol 2, ZDB - ID 2279626-5. ). Sansoni, Florence 1934 ( Nachdruck. Olms, Hildesheim 1963; Licosa Reprints, Florence 1972).
• Studi su al -Kindi. 2 vols. 1938-1940; Volume 1: with M. Guidi: Uno scritto introduttivo allo studio di Aristotele. In: Memorie della R. Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. Classe di scienze moral, storiche e filologiche. Ser. 6, Vol 6, Fasc. 6, 1940, ISSN 0391-8149, pp. 375-419 (Also offprint. Bardi, Rome 1938).
• Volume 2: ( ὰλυρὶας Temistio Περὶ? ) Uno scritto morale inedito di al -Kindi: H. Ritter. In: Memorie della R. Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. Classe di scienze moral, storiche e filologiche. Ser. 6, Vol 8, Fasc. 1, 1938, pp. 5-63 (Also offprint. Bardi, Rome 1938).