Chauncey Wright
Chauncey Wright (born September 10, 1830 in Northampton , Massachusetts , † September 12, 1875 in Cambridge , Massachusetts) was an American mathematician and philosopher .
Wright graduated from Harvard University in 1852 and was a mathematician "calculator" (English computer ) at the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac , a publication on the prognosis of nautical and astronomical data. As a mathematician, he became known through articles on mathematical and physical topics in the journal "Mathematical Monthly". At the same time he published on philosophical topics on John Stuart Mill , Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer .
In 1870/71 he gave lectures on psychology at Harvard University. Wright is considered an independent thinker who particularly represented the thoughts of Mills and Darwin's theory of evolution. His essays on "The Evolution of Self-Consciousness" and the "Genesis of Species" should be emphasized. The latter article is a defense of evolution against St. George Mivart and was published on Darwin's recommendation. In 1860 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , whose secretary and recorder he was from 1863 to 1870. He was a member of the discussion group founded by Charles S. Peirce and William James in Cambridge, the so-called "Metaphysical Club". In the last year of his life, he lectured in mathematical physics at Harvard University.
His essays appeared posthumously in an anthology (1877) and his correspondence (1878).
Web links
- Jean De Groot: Entry in Edward N. Zalta (Ed.): Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy .
- Lucio Angelo Privitello: Entry in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy .
- Letters of Chauncey Wright, with some account of his life
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wright, Chauncey |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American mathematician and philosopher |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 10, 1830 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Northampton , Massachusetts |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 12, 1875 |
| Place of death | Cambridge , Massachusetts |