Brian Joseph O'Shaughnessy (10 September 1925 – 7 July 2010) was an Australian

philosopher of mind Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the ontology and nature of the mind and its relationship with the body. The mind–body problem is a paradigmatic issue in philosophy of mind, although a number of other issues are addr ...

, who lived in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and taught at King's College London. He published papers on the nature of physical action and the will, at a time when this was quite unfashionable.

Biography

He was born in Kew, a suburb of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

in Australia, where his father was a doctor. He studied at Xavier College and then attended

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

, firstly studying engineering before changing to philosophy. He graduated in 1950 and then went to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

to continue his studies at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He is buried in

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

in north

in the first section on the left immediately upon entering the Eastern Cemetery.

Major works

* ''The Will: A Dual Aspect Theory'' (1980)

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambr ...

* ''Consciousness and the World'' (2000,

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

)

References

Alumni of the University of Oxford University of Melbourne alumni Australian philosophers Academics of King's College London Australian people of Irish descent 1925 births 2010 deaths Place of death missing Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom People from Kew, Victoria Academics from Melbourne People educated at Xavier College {{Australia-philosopher-stub