William Newton-Smith
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William Newton-Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Herbert Newton-Smith May 25, 1943 |
| Died | April 8, 2023 (aged 79) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | Queen's University at Kingston Cornell University (MA) Balliol College, Oxford (DPhil) |
| Occupation | Philosopher |
William Herbert Newton-Smith (May 25, 1943 – April 8, 2023) was a Canadian philosopher of science.[1][2]
Biography
Newton-Smith's undergraduate degree from Queen's University was in Mathematics and Philosophy, in 1966. He took an MA from Cornell University in Philosophy, in 1968, and a DPhil in philosophy from Balliol College, Oxford, in 1974. His working life before retirement was mainly as a Fellow of Balliol.
Newton-Smith's 1980 book The Structure of Time focuses on the philosophy of time.[3] In the 1980s he led a small team of British philosophers, including Kathy Wilkes and Roger Scruton, who travelled to Czechoslovakia to give unauthorized philosophy lectures.[4]
Newton-Smith led Central European University from its foundation in 1991 until Alfred Stepan was elected rector in 1993.[5]
Newton-Smith had two daughters with his first wife Dorris Heffron.[6] His daughter Rain Newton-Smith is an economist who became the Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in April 2023.
In 2003, Newton-Smith and his second wife Nancy Durham were the first to grow lavender on a field scale in Wales. They became the sole distillers of lavender oil in Wales. Their company, Welsh Lavender Ltd, produces face and body creams.
Newton-Smith died of throat cancer on April 8, 2023, at the age of 79.[7][8]
Works
- The Structure of Time (1980)
- The Rationality of Science (1981)
- Logic (1984)
- Modelling the Mind (1990) editor with K. V. Wilkes
- Popper in China (1992) editor with J. Tianji
- Chapter 1 - Popper, ciência e racionalidade. In Karl Popper: Filosofia e problemas (1997), organized by Anthony O'Hear, translated to Portuguese by Luiz Paulo Rouanet. Editora Unesp. Cambridge University Press.
- The Companion to the Philosophy of Science (2000)
References
- ^ Williams, Malcolm (2000). Science and social science an introduction. London: Routledge. p. 40. ISBN 9780631230205.
- ^ Brown, James Robert (1994). Smoke and mirrors : how science reflects reality (1. publ. ed.). London: Routledge. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-415-09180-0. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ^ Schlesinger, George N. (1983). "Reviewed Work: The Structure of Time. by W. H. Newton-Smith". Mind. 92 (366): 293–296.
- ^ Weinberg, Justin (14 April 2023). "William Newton-Smith (1943-2023)". Daily Nous. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ "Shalini Randeria Elected CEU's 6th Rector and President | Central European University". www.ceu.edu.
- ^ "W. H. Newton-Smith Obituary". The Globe and Mail. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "William Herbert Newton-Smith 1943–2023 | Balliol College, Oxford".
- ^ "Bill Newton-Smith obituary". The Times. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.