William Christopher Barrett (1913–1992) was a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

of philosophy at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

from 1950 to 1979.

Biography

Precociously, Barrett began post-secondary studies at the City College of New York when 15 years old. He received his PhD at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. He was an editor of ''

Partisan Review ''Partisan Review'' (''PR'') was a small-circulation quarterly "little magazine" dealing with literature, politics, and cultural commentary published in New York City. The magazine was launched in 1934 by the Communist Party USA–affiliated Joh ...

'' and later the literary critic of ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' magazine. Barrett wrote philosophical works for nonexperts, including '' Irrational Man'' and ''The Illusion of Technique'', which remain in print. Like many intellectuals of his generation, Barrett flirted with

Marxism Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialectical ...

before turning his energies to providing readable introductions to European philosophical schools, notably

existentialism Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and valu ...

. Barrett was good friends with the poet

Delmore Schwartz Delmore Schwartz (December 8, 1913 – July 11, 1966) was an American poet and short story writer. Early life Schwartz was born in 1913 in Brooklyn, New York, where he also grew up. His parents, Harry and Rose, both Romanian Jews, separated when ...

for many years. He knew many other literary figures of the day, including

Edmund Wilson Edmund Wilson Jr. (May 8, 1895 – June 12, 1972) was an American writer and literary critic who explored Freudian and Marxist themes. He influenced many American authors, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose unfinished work he edited for publi ...

Philip Rahv Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

, and

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

. He was deeply influenced by the philosophies of

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ...

, Søren Kierkegaard, and

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; ; 26 September 188926 May 1976) was a German philosopher who is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. He is among the most important and influential philosophers of the 20th ce ...

and was the editor of

D. T. Suzuki , self-rendered in 1894 as "Daisetz", was a Japanese-American Buddhist monk, essayist, philosopher, religious scholar, translator, and writer. He was a scholar and author of books and essays on Buddhism, Zen and Shin that were instrumental in s ...

's 1956 classic ''Zen Buddhism''. In fiction his taste ran to the great Russians, particularly

Fyodor Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

. Barrett died in 1992, aged 78, of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

of the

esophagus The esophagus ( American English) or oesophagus (British English; both ), non-technically known also as the food pipe or gullet, is an organ in vertebrates through which food passes, aided by peristaltic contractions, from the pharynx to ...

. Barrett's Law is named for him: "''not everyone who might read the productions of scholarly writers is an expert in the fields discussed''" (p. 99).Burman, J. T. (2012). The misunderstanding of memes: Biography of an unscientific object, 1976–1999. ''

Perspectives on Science ''Perspectives on Science'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes contributions to science studies that integrate historical, philosophical, and sociological perspectives. The journal contains theoretical essays, case studies, and re ...

, 20''(1), 75-104

( open access article, freely available, courtesy of

MIT Press The MIT Press is a university press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts (United States). It was established in 1962. History The MIT Press traces its origins back to 1926 when MIT publish ...

Books

*''What Is Existentialism?'' (1947), Partisan Review, 1964 Random House edition: *'' Irrational Man: A Study in Existential Philosophy'' (1958), Doubleday, Anchor Books paperback (1962): *''Philosophy in the Twentieth Century'' (1962), four volumes, William Barrett and Henry D. Aiken, editors, Random House *''Time of Need: Forms of Imagination in the Twentieth Century'' (1972), Harper Bros. *''The Illusion of Technique: A Search for Meaning in a Technological Civilization'' (1979), Doubleday, *''The Truants: Adventures Among the Intellectuals'' (1982), a memoir, Doubleday, *''Death of the Soul: From Descartes to the Computer'' (1986), Doubleday,

References

External links

* at Anova.org. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, William City College of New York alumni Columbia University alumni New York University faculty 1913 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American philosophers

Biography

Books

See also

References

External links