Christopher John Fardo Williams

Christopher John Fardo Williams (born December 31, 1930 in Walsall , † March 25, 1997 in Bristol ) was a British philosopher and historian of philosophy .

Life

Williams grew up in Midsomer Norton , Somerset . After attending Shrewsbury School , he studied at Balliol College at the University of Oxford Greats ( ancient history and modern and ancient philosophy ) and graduated in 1953 with a first class degree. During his studies he converted to Roman Catholic and became a novice at Downside Abbey to enter the Benedictine order. Shortly afterwards he became so ill with polio that he had to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Williams then opted for an academic career and was first assistant lecturer at the University of Hull (1962-1965) before he took a position as a lecturer at the University of Bristol (1965-1972). There he was appointed reader (1972-1999) and finally professor (1989-1996). In 1996 he retired. Despite his disability, Williams commuted between Bristol and Midsomer Norton, where his parents lived, and attended philosophical congresses around the world on a regular basis. He remained active until his death due to cardiac arrest. His last translation appeared posthumously.

Williams was editor of the philosophical journal Analysis .

Research priorities

Williams worked in the field of philosophical logic . He assumed that fundamental concepts such as existence , truth and identity were misunderstood in the philosophical tradition and that metaphysics in particular had led to their lack of clarity. Williams tried to show that they can be elucidated by a careful analysis of their use. Williams, however, was no ordinary language philosopher . He produced detailed analyzes of the concepts using symbolic logic . In this approach based on Gottlob Frege's thoughts, he was influenced by Arthur Prior and Peter Geach , also a Catholic philosopher. He summarized the three special individual investigations into existence, truth and identity in a fourth, easier to understand book.

Williams was also active as an editor and translator in the field of ancient philosophy ( Aristotle , De generatione et corruptione ; Paulus Venetus , Tractatus de necessitate et contingentia futurorum ; Johannes Philoponos , About Aristotle's work About Becoming and Passing ).

Fonts (selection)

Monographs

• What is truth? Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1976. - Review by OR Jones: On Truth: A Reply to CJF Williams , in: Analysis Vol. 31, no. 1 (Oct. 1970), pp. 24-29, online .
• What is Existence? Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1981. - Review by Thomas P. Flint, in: The Philosophical Review Vol. 93, no. 1 (Jan. 1984), pp. 131-134, online .
• What is Identity? Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1989. - Review by Robert Elliot, in: Mind New Series, Vol. 100, No. 3 (Jul., 1991), pp. 421-424, online .
• Being, Truth and Identity. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1992.

Text editions and translations

• Aristotle's De generatione et corruptione. Translated with Notes. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1982 (Clarendon Aristotle Series). - Review by James Longrigg, in: The Classical Review (New Series) 35.2, 1985, pp. 386-387, online .
• Logica Magna. Prima pars: Tractatus de necessitate et contingentia futurorum Pauli Veneti . Ed. with an English translation and notes by CJF Williams. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1991 (Classical and medieval logic texts 8).
• Philoponus: On Aristotle, On Coming-to-Be and Perishing 1.1-5 , trans. by Christopher JF Williams, Duckworth, London 1999 ( Ancient Commentators on Aristotle ), ISBN 0-7156-2852-6 .
• Philoponus: On Aristotle, On Coming-to-Be and Perishing 1.6-2.4 , trans. by Christopher JF Williams, Duckworth, London 1999 (Ancient Commentators on Aristotle), ISBN 0-7156-2854-2 .

literature

• Richard Swinburne : Obituary: Professor CJF Williams , in: The Independent, March 29, 1997, online

Web links

• philpapers: article by CJF Williams