Marjorie Glicksman Grene (December 13, 1910 – March 16, 2009) was an American philosopher. She wrote on

existentialism Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and valu ...

and the

philosophy of science Philosophy of science is the branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. Amongst its central questions are the difference between science and non-science, the reliability of scientific theories, ...

, especially the

philosophy of biology The philosophy of biology is a subfield of philosophy of science, which deals with epistemology, epistemological, metaphysics, metaphysical, and ethics, ethical issues in the biological and biomedical sciences. Although philosophers of science and ...

. She taught at the

University of California at Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institution was ...

from 1965 to 1978. From 1988 until her death, she was Honorary University Distinguished Professor of

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

Life and career

Grene obtained her first degree, in

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

, from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

in 1931. She then obtained (from 1933–1935) an M.A. and then a doctorate in philosophy from

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

. This was, she said, "as close as females in those days got to

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

". Grene studied with

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; 26 September 1889 – 26 May 1976) was a German philosopher known for contributions to Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. His work covers a range of topics including metaphysics, art ...

and

Karl Jaspers Karl Theodor Jaspers (; ; 23 February 1883 – 26 February 1969) was a German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher who had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry, and philosophy. His 1913 work ''General Psychopathology'' influenced many ...

, leaving

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in 1933. She was in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

in 1935, and then at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. After losing her position there during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, she spent 15 years as a mother and farmer. She was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1976. Her ''New York Times'' obituary said Grene was "one of the first philosophers to raise questions about the synthetic theory of evolution, which combines Darwin's theory of evolution, Mendel's understanding of genetic inheritance and more recent discoveries by molecular biologists". Along with David Depew, she wrote the first history of the philosophy of biology. In 2002, she was the first female philosopher to have a volume of the ''

Library of Living Philosophers The ''Library of Living Philosophers'' is a series of books conceived of and started by Paul Arthur Schilpp in 1939; Schilpp remained editor until 1981. The series has since been edited by Lewis Edwin Hahn (1981–2001), Randall Auxier (2001–20 ...

'' devoted to her. In 1995, the

International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology The International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology (ISHPSSB) is an international academic organization founded in 1989. The society hosts the largest and most important meeting for the fields of philosophy of bi ...

established a prize for young scholars in Grene's name, writing: "Not only does her work in the history and philosophy of biology exemplify the strong spirit of interdisciplinary work fundamental to the ISHPSSB, but she played a central role in bringing together diverse scholars of biology even before the formation of the Society."

Family

From 1938 to 1961, Grene was married to

David Grene David Grene (13 April 1913 – 10 September 2002) was an Irish American professor of classics at the University of Chicago from 1937 until his death. He was a co-founder of the Committee on Social Thought and is best known for his translations o ...

, a classicist who farmed in Illinois and in his native Ireland. They had two children, Ruth Grene, a professor of plant physiology at

, and Nicholas Grene, a professor of English literature at

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

Works

Books authored *'' Dreadful Freedom: A Critique of Existentialism'' (1948) Reissued as '' Introduction to Existentialism'' (1959) *''

'' (1957) *'' A Portrait of Aristotle'' (1963) *'' The Knower and the Known'' (1966) *'' Approaches to a Philosophical Biology'' (1968) *''

Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th-century French ph ...

'' (1973) *'' The Understanding of Nature: Essays In The Philosophy Of Biology '' (1974) *'' Philosophy In and Out of Europe'' (1976) essays *'' Descartes'' (1985) *''Descartes Among the Scholastics'' (1991) Aquinas Lecture 1991 *''Interactions. The Biological Context of Social Systems'' (1992) with

Niles Eldredge Niles Eldredge ( ; born August 25, 1943) is an American biologist and paleontologist, who, along with Stephen Jay Gould, proposed the theory of punctuated equilibrium in 1972. Education Eldredge began his undergraduate studies in Latin at Colum ...

*'' A Philosophical Testament'' (1995) *'' Philosophy of Biology: An Episodic History'' (2004) with David Depew Works edited and translated *''Philosophers Speak for Themselves: From Descartes To Kant. Readings in the Philosophy of the Renaissance and Enlightenment'' (1940) with

Thomas Vernor Smith Thomas Vernor Smith (April 26, 1890 – May 24, 1964), who wrote under the byline T. V. Smith, was an American philosopher, scholar, and politician from Illinois, as well as an officer in the United States Army. Biography Smith was born in ...

**Reissued in two volumes: '' Descartes to Locke'' (1958) and '' Berkeley, Hume, Kant'' (1963) *''The World View of Physics by

C. F. von Weizsäcker C. or c. may refer to: * Century, sometimes abbreviated as ''c.'' or ''C.'', a period of 100 years * Letter C, the third letter in the alphabet. * Cent (currency), abbreviated ''c.'' or ''¢'', a monetary unit that equals of the basic unit of man ...

'' (1952) translator *'' The Anatomy of Knowledge: Papers Presented to the Study Group on Foundations of Cultural Unity, Bowdoin College, 1965 and 1966; '' (1969) editor *'' Knowing & Being: essays by

Michael Polanyi Michael Polanyi ( ; ; 11 March 1891 – 22 February 1976) was a Hungarian-British polymath, who made important theoretical contributions to physical chemistry, economics, and philosophy. He argued that positivism is a false account of knowle ...

'', (1969) editor *''Toward a Unity of Knowledge'' (1969) editor *''Laughing and Crying: A Study of the Limits of Human Behavior by Helmuth Plessner'' (1970) translator with James Spencer Churchill *''Interpretations of Life and Mind: Essays Around the Problem of Reduction'' (1971) editor *'' Spinoza : A Collection of Critical Essays'' (1973) editor *'' Topics in the Philosophy of Biology'' (1976) editor with Everett Mendelsohn *'' Dimensions Of Darwinism : Themes And Counterthemes In Twentieth-Century Evolutionary Theory'' (1983) editor *''Spinoza And The Sciences'' (1986) editor *''Muntu : African Culture and the Western World by

Janheinz Jahn Janheinz Jahn (23 July 1918 in Frankfurt on Main – 20 October 1973 in Messel, Darmstadt-Dieburg) was a German writer and influential scholar of literature from sub-Saharan Africa. Jahn studied drama and Arabic Studies in Munich in the Thirties. ...

'' (1990) translator *''Descartes and His Contemporaries: Meditations, Objections, and Replies '' (1995) editor with Roger Ariew *''The Mechanization of the Heart: Harvey and Descartes by Thomas Fuchs'' (2001) translator *'' Malebranche's First and Last Critics: Simon Foucher and Dortous De Mairan'' (2002) with Richard A. Watson; translator *''Apology for Raymond Sebond by Montaigne'' (2003) translator with Roger Ariew *''Geoffroy Saint Hilaire by Hervé Le Guyader'' (2004) translator *For more complete details see "The Publications of Marjorie Grene" in her 1986

festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

''Human Nature and Natural Knowledge'' or Grene'
C.V.

References

External links

The philosophy of Marjorie Grene
2003 profile by Sally Harris for ''Virginia Tech Magazine'' (Archived by Wayback Machine)
An Interview with Marjorie Grene
2005 article by Benjamin Cohen for ''

The Believer Believer(s) or The Believer(s) may refer to: Religion * Believer, a person who holds a particular belief ** Believer, a person who holds a particular religious belief *** Believers, Christians with a religious faith in the divine Christ *** Bel ...

'' magazine. (Archived by

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by Internet Archive, an American nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. Launched for public access in 2001, the service allows users to go "back in ...

)
IN MEMORIAM - Marjorie Glicksman Grene
from the

University Of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

.
In Memoriam: Marjorie Grene
from ''Virginia Tech Daily'' (Archived by Wayback Machine)

eulogy by Richard Burian and Roger Ariew for ''Isis''. (Archived by Wayback Machine) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grene, Marjorie Jewish American non-fiction writers Jewish philosophers Writers from Virginia Virginia Tech faculty University of Chicago faculty Wellesley College alumni Radcliffe College alumni Presidents of the Metaphysical Society of America 1910 births 2009 deaths Writers from Chicago Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences American women philosophers Existentialists American philosophers of science 20th-century American philosophers 20th-century American women writers American women non-fiction writers 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women Philosophers of biology American philosophy academics

Life and career

Family

Works

See also

References

Further reading

External links