Alan R. White

Alan Richard White (9 October 1922 – 23 February 1992) was a Canadian analytic philosopher who worked mainly in epistemology, the philosophy of mind, and, latterly, legal philosophy. He was noted for being "the most skillful developer of Rylean... ideas in philosophical psychology" and for his subtle and refined discrimination of language, comparable to J. L. Austin. He was also recognized as one of the best practitioners of ordinary language philosophy during its peak. White was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Irish emigrant parents. After his parents' separation, he moved with his mother to Cork, Ireland, where he was educated at Middleton College and Presentation College, Cork. He later became an atheist. He attended Trinity College Dublin, where he was president of the University Philosophical Society and graduated with firsts in classics and philosophy. He also served with the Local Defence Force during World War II. In 1946, White became an assistant lecturer at the University College of Hull, where he taught both philosophy and psychology, contributing to the department's distinctive approach. He progressed to Lecturer and then Senior Lecturer, eventually becoming the second Ferens Professor of Philosophy in 1961, a post he held until his retirement in 1985. During his tenure, he also served as dean of arts and pro-vice-chancellor. In 1958, he earned his PhD from the University of London under A. J. Ayer, publishing his first book, *G.E. Moore: a Critical Exposition*, that same year. White was a visiting professor at numerous American universities and participated in an Open University televised discussion on perception. He served as secretary and president of the Mind Association and president of the Aristotelian Society. In his later years, he focused on jurisprudential problems. He died at his home in Sherwood, Nottingham, in 1992.