Harry Frankfurt

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Harry Frankfurt, 2018

Harry Gordon Frankfurt (born May 29, 1929 in Langhorne , Pennsylvania ) is an American philosopher . He is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Princeton University . His areas of work include ethics , philosophy of mind , action theory, and 17th century philosophy. His work On Bullshit , first published in book form in 2005, became a bestseller in the USA.

Life and work

Frankfurt studied at Johns Hopkins University , where he received his bachelor's degree in 1949 and his doctorate in 1954. He was then a soldier in the United States Army . In 1956 he became an assistant professor at Ohio State University . 1962 followed a position as associate professor of philosophy at the State University of New York in Binghamton , New York. In 1963 he moved to Rockefeller University in New York City as a research associate , where he was promoted to associate professor in 1964 and finally became a full professor in 1969. From 1966 to 1973 he was chairman of the philosophy group at Rockefeller University. In 1978 he moved to Yale University , whose Department of Philosophy he was Chairman from 1978 to 1987 . In addition to philosophy, Frankfurt also taught law during this time . He spent the last years of his formal teaching and research activities (1990–2002) at Princeton University . Frankfurt is married and has two daughters.

In 1995 Frankfurt was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

Subject: freedom

Harry Frankfurt is best known for his analysis of the concept of freedom . Under freewill Frankfurt understand first the agreement of action effective will and higher-level requirements . A higher level desire, or second order desire, is a desire that is itself related to a desire or will. One example is the desire to stop smoking . Frankfurt also considers a concept of freedom understood in this way to be constitutive for the concept of the person .

Works

  • On inequality . Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA 2015, ISBN 978-0-691-16714-5 .
    • German by Michael Adrian: Inequality: Why we don't all have to have the same amount . Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin 2016, ISBN 978-3-518-46661-2 . (Audiobook: John Verlag, 2016)
  • On truth . Alfred Knopf, New York City 2006.
  • Taking ourselves seriously & getting it right . Stanford University Press, 2006.
  • On bullshit . Princeton University Press, 2005.
  • The Reasons of Love . Princeton University Press, 2004.
  • Freedom and self-determination , Eds. M. Betzler and B. Guckes, various translators. Akademie Verlag, Berlin 2001.
  • Necessity, Volition, and Love . Cambridge University Press, 1999.
  • The Importance of What We Care about. Philosophical essays . Cambridge University Press, 1988.

Further literature

  • Michael H. Bischof: Can a concept of free will do without the principle of alternative possibilities? Harry G. Frankfurt's criticism of the principle of alternative possibilities (PAP). In: Journal for Philosophical Research. Issue 4/2004.
  • Ulrich Pothast : Self-determination by shaping one's own will? In: German magazine for philosophy. Issue 4/2002.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Rico Hofmann: Economics and Philosophy: Harry G. Frankfurt on "Caring". Grin, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-638-89324-4 .
  2. ↑ Harry Frankfurt. Greater Talent Network Speakers Bureau, accessed October 24, 2013 .
  3. ^ Harry Frankfurt: Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person. In: Journal of Philosophy. 68/1, 1971, pp. 5–20 (German: Freedom of Will and the Concept of Person. In: ders .: Freedom and Self-Determination . Akademie Verlag, Berlin 2001, pp. 65–83.)
personal data
SURNAME Frankfurt, Harry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Frankfurt, Harry Gordon (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH May 29, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Langhorne , Pennsylvania , USA