Curt John Ducasse (; 7 July 1881 – 3 September 1969) was a French-born American

philosopher 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 ...

who taught at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

and

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

.Chisholm, R. M. (1970). ''C. J. Ducasse (1881-1969)''. ''

Philosophy and Phenomenological Research ''Philosophy and Phenomenological Research'' (''PPR'') is a bimonthly philosophy journal founded in 1940. Until 1980, it was edited by Marvin Farber, then by Roderick Chisholm, and since 1986 by Ernest Sosa. It considers itself open to a variety ...

'' 30: 631–633.

Career

Ducasse was born in

Angoulême Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; ) is a small city in the southwestern French Departments of France, department of Charente, of which it is the Prefectures of France, prefecture. Located on a plateau overlooking a meander of ...

, France. He obtained A.B. and A.M. degrees in philosophy from

. In 1912, he obtained his

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He is most notable for his work in

philosophy of mind Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of the mind and its relation to the Body (biology), body and the Reality, external world. The mind–body problem is a paradigmatic issue in philosophy of mind, although a ...

and

aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...

. His influence can be seen in the work of

Roderick Chisholm Roderick Milton Chisholm ( ; November 27, 1916 – January 19, 1999) was an American philosopher known for his work on epistemology, metaphysics, free will, value theory, deontology, deontic logic and the philosophy of perception. Richard and ...

and

Wilfrid Sellars Wilfrid Stalker Sellars (; May 20, 1912 – July 2, 1989) was an American philosopher and prominent developer of critical realism who "revolutionized both the content and the method of philosophy in the United States". His work has had a profou ...

. Ducasse served as the president of the Eastern division of the

American Philosophical Association The American Philosophical Association (APA) is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarl ...

(1939–40) and president of the

Philosophy of Science Association The Philosophy of Science Association (PSA) is an international academic organization founded in 1933 that promotes research, teaching, and free discussion of issues in the philosophy of science from diverse standpoints. The PSA engages in activi ...

(1958–61). Ducasse was influenced by

William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. The first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States, he is considered to be one of the leading thinkers of the late 19th c ...

and

Josiah Royce Josiah Royce (; November 20, 1855 – September 14, 1916) was an American Pragmatism, pragmatist and objective idealism, objective idealist philosopher and the founder of American idealism. His philosophical ideas included his joining of pragmatis ...

Parapsychology

Ducasse wrote on

parapsychology Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, teleportation, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry (paranormal), psychometry) and other paranormal cla ...

. He joined the

American Society for Psychical Research The American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR) is the oldest psychical research organization in the United States dedicated to parapsychology. Until recently, it maintained offices and a library in New York City that were open to members and ...

in 1951 and served a term as vice president beginning in 1966. His book ''A Critical Examination of the Belief in a Life After Death'' is a philosophical attempt to examine the idea of

life after death ''Life After Death'' is the second and final studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on March 25, 1997, by Bad Boy Records and distributed by Arista Records. A double album, it was released sixteen days after his murder. ...

. In it he expressed his belief in survival. The book was praised by parapsychologists. Criticism came from philosopher

Corliss Lamont Corliss Lamont (March 28, 1902 – April 26, 1995) was an American socialist and humanist philosopher and advocate of various left-wing and civil liberties causes. As a part of his political activities, he was the Chairman of National Council o ...

who asserted that some of the content was based on

wishful thinking Wishful thinking is the formation of beliefs based on what might be pleasing to imagine, rather than on evidence, rationality, or reality. It is a product of resolving conflicts between belief and desire. Methodologies to examine wishful thin ...

. Ducasse was a believer in

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...

. Science writer

Martin Gardner Martin Gardner (October 21, 1914May 22, 2010) was an American popular mathematics and popular science writer with interests also encompassing magic, scientific skepticism, micromagic, philosophy, religion, and literatureespecially the writin ...

observed that Ducasse was notable for "combining nonbelief in God with a belief in the preexistence and the afterlife of human souls."Gardner, Martin. (2009). ''When You Were a Tadpole and I Was a Fish: And Other Speculations About This and That''. Hill & Wang. p. 193.

Publications

* Ducasse, ''Causation and the Types of Necessity'', (1924) * Ducasse, ''The Philosophy of Art'', (1929) * Ducasse,
Philosophy as a Science
', (1941) * Ducasse, ''Art, the Critics, and You'', (1944) * Ducasse, ''Is a Life After Death Possible?'', (1948) * Ducasse, ''Nature, Mind, and Death'', (1951) * Ducasse, ''A Philosophical Scrutiny of Religion'', (1953) * Ducasse, ''A Critical Examination of the Belief in a Life after Death'', (1961) * Ducasse, ''Truth, Knowledge, and Causation'', (1968)

References

External links

*
Biography from Brown.edu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ducasse, Curt John 1881 births 1969 deaths 20th-century American philosophers American parapsychologists Harvard University alumni University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences alumni Brown University faculty Reincarnation researchers

Career

Parapsychology

Publications

References

Further reading

External links