__NOTOC__ David Francis Pears, FBA (8 August 1921 – 1 July 2009) was a British

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 ...

renowned for his work on

Ludwig Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. From 1929 to 1947, Witt ...

. An Old Boy of

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

,
David Pears: philosopher
'' (obituary) ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

,'' 3 July 2009, Archived fro
the original
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 ...

he was in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

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 ...

, and was seriously injured in a practice gas attack. After leaving the army he studied classics at

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, and was then for many years a Student (Fellow) of

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

Bibliography

* ''

.'' Viking Press 1970. * '' Motivated Irrationality.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press 1984. * ''The False Prison: A Study of the Development of Wittgenstein's Philosophy.'' 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press 1987/1988. * ''Hume's System: An Examination of the First Book of His Treatise.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press 1991. * ''Paradox and Platitude in Wittgenstein's Philosophy.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press 2006.

References

External links

"Pears, David Francis (1921–2009), philosopher"
''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

''. (Archived by

).
David Francis Pears 1921–2009"
-

British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...

Memoir of Pears by

Christopher Peacocke Christopher Arthur Bruce Peacocke (born 22 May 1950) is a British philosopher known for his work in philosophy of mind and epistemology. His recent publications, in the field of epistemology, have defended a version of rationalism. Biography ...

, FBA.
"The Idea of Freedom"
(1972) A philosophical conversation between

Iris Murdoch Dame Jean Iris Murdoch ( ; 15 July 1919 – 8 February 1999) was an Irish and British novelist and philosopher. Murdoch is best known for her novels about good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious. Her fi ...

and David Pears on ethics, freedom, determinism, and Freud, from the '' Logic Lane'' series of educational films by Michael Chanan. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pears, David British philosophers 1921 births 2009 deaths Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford British Army personnel of World War II Fellows of Christ Church, Oxford People educated at Westminster School, London Royal Artillery officers Wittgensteinian philosophers

Bibliography

References

Further reading

External links