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George Holmes Howison

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339:, which turned out to be not to his liking. At this time, the University of California decided to begin a philosophy program and recruited Howison, now 50 and a prominent voice in academia, as the Mills Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy and Civil Polity, and they invited Howison to create a philosophy program according to his own vision. Howison's extensive administrative experience along with his connections to the eastern and mid-western intellectual lights led to great success. Howison was also an inspiring teacher and so the program attracted students easily. Howison's Philosophical Union became a prominent host for public lectures and even debates, hosting such speakers as James, Royce, and 31: 347:
personal charity and moral excellence kept him safe from serious personal attacks. Despite Howison's dissatisfaction with other contemporary and historical metaphysicians, he did continue to profess Christianity. He recognized that his support of Jesus' position was not accepted as he might have hoped by his Christian peers, but maintained that his theory of
248:. During the following years Howison taught in all the branches of mathematics, including applied fields such as mechanics and astronomy, but also in political economy and Latin. Howison wrote a treatise on analytic geometry (1869) and an algebra primer (1870). In St. Louis Howison also came into contact with a subdivision of the 200:
originator of philosophical pluralism in America, which was his most enduring contribution to philosophy. Although he was widely recognized during his lifetime, Howison's ideas have spread and come into the present mainly through influence on other notable philosophers whose names have continued to attract attention, especially
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While he was well known and widely respected in the young professional discipline of philosophy, Howison did not publish prolifically. Most of those who have written on Howsion attribute his reluctance to publish to his perfectionism regarding language and writing. He was exacting, as is indicated by
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on December 31, 1916. His parents were Robert Howison of Virginia and Eliza Holmes Howison of Maryland. These were old and distinguished Southern families, Presbyterians and slaveholders. Howison's biography is eclectic and the basis of Howison's later devotion to pluralism. Howison was the primary
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in Cincinnati and being licensed to preach. Howison did not take a church, however, and served as a schoolteacher and principal several Ohio towns. In 1862 he moved to Salem, Massachusetts as a school principal. There he met and married Lois Caswell, an English teacher, who was related to several
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Strictly construed, it is, as I have just endeavoured to show, simply the vindication of that active sovereign judgment which is the light of every mind, which organises even the most elementary perceptions, and which goes on in its ceaseless critical work of reorganisation after reorganisation,
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Howison became a popular and controversial speaker and became the progenitor of the California school of American personalism. His heterodox teachings about the nature of God placed him at odds with the theological community, but his incisive ability to defend it against all challenges and his
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as its Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science, remaining until 1878, when financial problems forced M.I.T. to eliminate his position. It was during these years that Howison began writing philosophy. He held various teaching positions and lectured for money between 1878 and 1882, including
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When Howison was four years of age his parents freed their slaves and moved to Marietta, Ohio, for the improved educational and cultural life it offered at that time. The various Christian sects there had worked out a consensus and ecumenism, creating a co-operative community in which even
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was in line with Jesus' teaching, particularly as presented by "the 4th gospeler", John. He said: "I feel the strongest assurance that my new interpretation of the name of God is the genuine fulfilment of the highest and profoundest prescience in the historic religious life."
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Howison returned to the US in 1882, and hoped to teach at Harvard while James was on sabbatical, but Royce, being younger and very promising, was given preference. Howison taught privately for a year and although he did not want to leave Boston, he accepted a position at the
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building all the successive stages of science, and finally mastering those ultimate implications of science that constitute the insights of philosophy. In other words, the conception is a philosophical and real account of the nature of an
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gave a talk which, along with the arguments of Sidney Edward Mezes, Joseph LeConte, and Howison (presaging his later definitive opus), and the follow-up replies by Royce Himself, was published in the book entitled
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was started during this time and Howison published an important paper on the relations among the branches of mathematics in one of its early numbers. The Kant Club hosted speeches by both
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Having moved to better and better schools and having made a name for himself as an educator, in 1864 (when he was 30) Howison was offered a post as professor at
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which moderated Howison's enthusiasm for Hegel and planted a predilection for Kantian thinking in Howison's mind which remained for the rest of his life.
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experience, marked by fragmentariness that is forever being tentatively overcome and enwholed, — if I may coin a word to match the excellent German one
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began here. These views were differently articulated and defended by James, Bowne, Davidson, and Howison, but their commonalities are many.
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at 14 and studied German. He studied philosophy in his senior year. After graduating, Howison pursued Christian ministry, graduating from
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Protestants and Catholics worked together. This religious pluralism was exceedingly rare in 19th century North America. Howison attended
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and held the position there of Mills Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy and Civil Polity. He also founded the
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Also during these years he attended every two weeks the informal philosophical meetings in the Temple Street rooms of
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The Conception of God: A Philosophical Discussion Concerning the Nature of the Divine Idea as a Demonstrable Reality
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The Conception of God: A philosophical discussion concerning the nature of the divine idea as a demonstrable reality
589: 156:(29 November 1834 – 31 December 1916) was an American philosopher who established the philosophy department at the 172: 415: 301: 281: 102: 294: 261: 192: 44: 175:
in 1919. Over the years, the lecture series has included talks by distinguished philosophers such as
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The Limits of Evolution, and other essays, illustrating the metaphysical theory of personal idealism
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See Rufus Burrow, Jr. Personalism: A Critical Introduction (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 1999).
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with a small group that included William James and Bowne. American philosophical
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where he received a classical education, including ancient languages. He entered
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Howison's philosophy is set forth almost entirely in his volume entitled
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his revision of a widely used dictionary of English synonyms (1892).
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Royce, J.; LeConte, J.; Howison, G.H.; Mezes, S.E. (1897).
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aspect; viewed, that is, as the organising subject of a
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George Holmes Howison was born on November 29, 1834, in
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turned Howison's main interest to philosophy. Harris'
315:Beginning in 1880 Howison traveled and studied in 556: 359: 252:called The Kant Club, which met at the home of 595:Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty 284:in Boston. In 1872 Howison moved to the new 233:prominent academic families associated with 605:Washington University in St. Louis faculty 29: 546:Guide to the George Holmes Howison Papers 498:The Limits of Evolution and Other Essays 460: 557: 264:. His association with Harris and the 503: 286:Massachusetts Institute of Technology 270:The Journal of Speculative Philosophy 379:Howison characterized Royce's God: 13: 580:20th-century American philosophers 575:19th-century American philosophers 246:Washington University in St. Louis 158:University of California, Berkeley 118:University of California, Berkeley 14: 616: 539: 456:2nd edition, Title Essay, Page #1 16:American philosopher (1834–1916) 250:St. Louis Philosophical Society 600:University of Michigan faculty 490: 481: 449: 445:1st edition, Table of Contents 438: 173:Howison Lectures in Philosophy 1: 432: 420:"all knowledge is personal", 416:List of American philosophers 319:. In 1881 he enrolled at the 295:Concord School of Philosophy 7: 470:. gradlectures.berkeley.edu 404: 262:The Phenomenology of Spirit 193:Montgomery County, Maryland 45:Montgomery County, Maryland 10: 621: 256:. With this group he read 516:. Macmillan. p. 79. 500:, 2nd ed. (1905), p. 431. 147: 135: 123: 113: 101: 91: 81: 77: 67: 52: 37: 28: 21: 590:Marietta College alumni 291:Harvard Divinity School 186: 96:20th-century philosophy 402: 337:University of Michigan 108:California personalism 381: 362:The Conception of God 254:William Torrey Harris 154:George Holmes Howison 23:George Holmes Howison 550:The Bancroft Library 386:isolated human being 321:University of Berlin 197:Berkeley, California 60:Berkeley, California 411:American philosophy 282:English High School 274:Ralph Waldo Emerson 266:St. Louis Hegelians 210:Borden Parker Bowne 162:Philosophical Union 394:natural-scientific 86:Western philosophy 349:personal idealism 151: 150: 142:Personal idealism 612: 534: 533: 531: 530: 507: 501: 494: 488: 485: 479: 478: 476: 475: 464: 458: 453: 447: 442: 239:Brown University 226:Marietta College 218:Marietta Academy 72:Marietta College 56:31 December 1916 41:29 November 1834 33: 19: 18: 620: 619: 615: 614: 613: 611: 610: 609: 555: 554: 542: 537: 528: 526: 524: 508: 504: 495: 491: 486: 482: 473: 471: 466: 465: 461: 454: 450: 443: 439: 435: 422:Michael Polanyi 407: 365: 302:Thomas Davidson 235:Yale University 189: 177:Michel Foucault 138: 126: 68:Alma mater 63: 57: 48: 42: 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 618: 608: 607: 602: 597: 592: 587: 582: 577: 572: 567: 553: 552: 541: 540:External links 538: 536: 535: 522: 502: 489: 480: 459: 448: 436: 434: 431: 430: 429: 424: 418: 413: 406: 403: 364: 358: 329:Jules Michelet 278:Bronson Alcott 258:G. W. F. Hegel 222:Harmar Academy 195:, and died in 188: 185: 149: 148: 145: 144: 139: 136: 133: 132: 127: 125:Main interests 124: 121: 120: 115: 111: 110: 105: 99: 98: 93: 89: 88: 83: 79: 78: 75: 74: 69: 65: 64: 58: 54: 50: 49: 43: 39: 35: 34: 26: 25: 22: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 617: 606: 603: 601: 598: 596: 593: 591: 588: 586: 583: 581: 578: 576: 573: 571: 568: 566: 563: 562: 560: 551: 547: 544: 543: 525: 523:9780722221457 519: 515: 514: 506: 499: 493: 484: 469: 463: 457: 452: 446: 441: 437: 428: 425: 423: 419: 417: 414: 412: 409: 408: 401: 399: 395: 391: 387: 380: 377: 375: 370: 363: 357: 353: 350: 344: 342: 338: 332: 330: 326: 322: 318: 313: 311: 308:and American 307: 303: 298: 296: 292: 287: 283: 279: 275: 271: 267: 263: 259: 255: 251: 247: 242: 240: 236: 231: 230:Lane Seminary 227: 223: 219: 213: 211: 207: 206:William James 203: 198: 194: 184: 182: 178: 174: 170: 165: 163: 159: 155: 146: 143: 140: 137:Notable ideas 134: 131: 128: 122: 119: 116: 112: 109: 106: 104: 100: 97: 94: 90: 87: 84: 80: 76: 73: 70: 66: 61: 55: 51: 46: 40: 36: 32: 27: 20: 527:. Retrieved 512: 505: 497: 492: 483: 472:. Retrieved 462: 451: 440: 397: 393: 389: 385: 382: 378: 373: 369:Josiah Royce 366: 361: 354: 345: 333: 314: 299: 243: 214: 202:Josiah Royce 190: 181:Noam Chomsky 168: 166: 153: 152: 114:Institutions 570:1916 deaths 565:1834 births 323:, studying 310:personalism 289:courses at 559:Categories 529:2015-05-13 474:2015-05-13 433:References 341:John Dewey 220:and later 585:Idealists 496:Howison, 427:Wikiquote 306:pluralism 405:See also 367:In 1897 360:Royce's 293:and the 130:Theology 398:ergänzt 390:natural 520:  317:Europe 208:, and 103:School 92:Region 62:, U.S. 47:, U.S. 327:with 518:ISBN 325:Kant 276:and 237:and 187:Life 179:and 53:Died 38:Born 548:at 260:'s 82:Era 561:: 343:. 204:, 183:. 532:. 477:. 400:. 372:"

Index

George Holmes Howison
Montgomery County, Maryland
Berkeley, California
Marietta College
Western philosophy
20th-century philosophy
School
California personalism
University of California, Berkeley
Theology
Personal idealism
University of California, Berkeley
Philosophical Union
Howison Lectures in Philosophy
Michel Foucault
Noam Chomsky
Montgomery County, Maryland
Berkeley, California
Josiah Royce
William James
Borden Parker Bowne
Marietta Academy
Harmar Academy
Marietta College
Lane Seminary
Yale University
Brown University
Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis Philosophical Society
William Torrey Harris

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