W. D. Ross

Sir William David Ross KBE ( born April 15, 1877 in Thurso, † May 5, 1971 in Oxford ) is a Scottish philosopher and main representative was the intuitionist ethics in the 20th century. His most famous work is " The Right and The Good", which appeared in 1930.

William David Ross was born in the port town of Thurso in northern Scotland. He spent his first six years in the south of India. After his return to Scotland he went to the Royal High School in Edinburgh and then to the University of Edinburgh. In 1895 he received his Master degree in humanities. He finished his studies at Balliol College, Oxford in 1900 and obtained a lectureship at Oriel College, where he became a Fellow in 1902.

From 1929 to 1947 Ross Provost was in Oxford at Oriel College. He was also from 1941 to 1947 Rector of the University of Oxford. In 1928 he was defeated by King George V of England knighted.

With his wife Edith Ogdem, whom he married in 1906, he had four daughters ( Margaret, Rosalind, Eleanor and Katharine ). Edith Ogdem died 1953.

Selected Works

• Aristotle (1923 )
• The Right and the Good ( 1930)
• Foundations of Ethics (1939 )
• Plato's Theory of Ideas (1951 )
• Kant's Ethical Theory ( 1954)