Vernon Joseph Bourke (1907–1998) was a Canadian-born American

Thomist Thomism is the philosophical and theological school that arose as a legacy of the work and thought of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), the Dominican philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. In philosophy, Aquinas' disputed questions a ...

philosopher and professor at Saint Louis University. His area of expertise was

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...

, and especially the moral philosophy of Augustine of Hippo and

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wit ...

Early life

Bourke was born in

North Bay, Ontario North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. North Bay developed as a railroad centre, and its airport was an important military ...

, Canada in 1907. He attended St. Michael's College in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, winning the Cardinal Mercier and Governor General's medals in the philosophy honors course. He received his B.A. in 1928 and then entered the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto. He was among the first to attend the

Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies The Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (PIMS) is a research institute in the University of Toronto that is dedicated to advanced studies in the culture of the Middle Ages. Governance The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toronto, currently Th ...

where he worked under Etienne Gilson. He earned his M.A. in 1929 during which time he taught ancient philosophy at St. Michael's College from 1928 to 1931. In 1931, he joined the faculty of St. Louis University as instructor of philosophy. He earned his Ph.D. in 1937 and became an assistant professor of philosophy in 1938, an associate professor in 1942, and full professor in 1946.

Family life

Bourke married in 1948. He and his wife Janet (d. December 1997), were parents of two daughters and a son, grandparents to eight, and great-grandparents to two. Bourke was a practicing

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

. He died on May 4, 1998.

Academic career

After obtaining a PhD at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, Bourke went on to teach at Saint Louis University in Missouri from 1931 to 1975. During the 1930s he became the University's first

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

coach. Bourke was the President of the

American Catholic Philosophical Association The American Catholic Philosophical Association (ACPA) is an organization of Catholic philosophers established in 1926 to promote the advancement of philosophy as an intellectual discipline consonant with Catholic tradition. Among the means used t ...

in 1948 and an honorary member of the

Order of St. Augustine The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were fo ...

. He was a member of the Natural Law Board at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

and belonged to the

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

fraternity.

Published works

Bourke authored, co-authored, and edited numerous books and articles, including the following: *''Aquinas's Search for Wisdom'' *''Augustine’s Quest for Wisdom: Life and Philosophy of the Bishop of Hippo'' * *''Ethics in Crisis'' *''Ethics: A Textbook in Moral Philosophy'' *''History of Ethics'' (2 vols.) *''Joy in St. Augustine'' *''St. Thomas and the Greek Moralists'' * *''Will in Western Thought: A Historico-Critical Survey'' *''Wisdom of Augustine''

References

External links

*http://www.librarything.com/author/bourkevernonj *http://www.axiospress.com/books/History%20of%20EthicsVolume%202/Excerpts.html *http://philpapers.org/s/Vernon%20J.%20Bourke {{DEFAULTSORT:Bourke, Vernon J. 1907 births 1998 deaths Saint Louis University faculty American philosophy academics University of Toronto alumni Thomists American ethicists People from North Bay, Ontario Scholars of medieval philosophy Historians of philosophy Canadian philosophers 20th-century American philosophers Catholic philosophers 20th-century American historians