Patrick Thomas Riley (October 27, 1941 – March 10, 2015) was

Michael Oakeshott Michael Joseph Oakeshott (11 December 1901 – 19 December 1990) was an English philosopher. He is known for his contributions to the philosophies of history, religion, aesthetics, education, and law.Fuller, T. (1991) 'The Work of Michael Oakesh ...

Professor of Political Science at the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. He is notable for his translations of the political writings of

Gottfried Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (or Leibnitz; – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat who is credited, alongside Isaac Newton, Sir Isaac Newton, with the creation of calculus in ad ...

and his research on

social contract theory In moral and political philosophy, the social contract is an idea, theory, or model that usually, although not always, concerns the legitimacy of the authority of the state over the individual. Conceptualized in the Age of Enlightenment, it is ...

, the general will, and the history of universal jurisprudence.

Life and career

Riley received his undergraduate degree from Claremont Men's College. He then briefly pursued a career as a conductor, studying at the Mozarteum in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

, Austria. Shortly thereafter, he earned his M.Phil at The London School of Economics under the supervision of

. In 1968, he received his Ph.D. 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 ...

where he studied under Louis Hartz,

John Rawls John Bordley Rawls (; February 21, 1921 – November 24, 2002) was an American moral philosophy, moral, legal philosophy, legal and Political philosophy, political philosopher in the Modern liberalism in the United States, modern liberal tradit ...

and Judith Shklar. While at Harvard, Riley won the Bowdoin Essay Prize for Graduate Students in 1966 and 1967. Riley’s first book, ''Will and Political Legitimacy'', offered "a critical exposition of social contract theory in Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, and Hegel." In ''Leibniz' Universal Jurisprudence: Justice as the Charity of the Wise'', Riley detailed the social, moral, and political philosophy of Leibniz, arguing for the English-speaking world that Leibniz was the most important German philosopher before

Kant Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, et ...

. He has also written extensively on the general will of

Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher ('' philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects ...

and Kant's political philosophy. He was the author of ''The General Will before Rousseau: The Transformation of the Divine into the Civic'' and the editor of the ''Cambridge Companion to Rousseau.'' Riley edited a volume of Leibniz's political writings, as well as produced translations of Malebranche and Fénelon for Cambridge University Press.

Final years

After teaching at Harvard for several years, he moved to teach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he retired from in 2007 after 36 years of teaching. In October 2008, a General Will Symposium was held on campus to honor Riley's career, including numerous former colleagues and students from throughout his career, which was subsequently published by

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

a
''The General Will: The Evolution of a Concept''
edited by James Farr and David Lay Williams, and it features two of Riley's essays. In 2011, the ''Leibniz Review'' was dedicated to Riley's career and his numerous contributions to the journal over an extended period. The volume included David Lay Williams's tribute to Riley's interpretation of Leibniz as a philosopher of love, as well as an account of Riley's own commitment to charity as a way of life. In retirement, Riley taught courses at Harvard near his home in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Patrick T. American political scientists University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty 1941 births 2015 deaths Place of birth missing Harvard University alumni Claremont McKenna College alumni Alumni of the London School of Economics