Benson Mates

Benson Mates (May 19, 1919 – May 14, 2009) was an American philosopher at the University of California, Berkeley. He was noted for his work in logic, the history of philosophy, and skepticism. Mates studied philosophy and mathematics at the University of Oregon, Cornell University, and the University of California at Berkeley, with teachers including J. Barkley Rosser, Harold Cherniss, and Alfred Tarski. From 1948 until his retirement in 1989, he was a professor of philosophy at Berkeley, remaining Professor Emeritus until his death. His 1948 dissertation, 'On the Logic of the Old Stoa', led to his 1953 book 'Stoic Logic'. His 1965 book, 'Elementary Logic', is a widely used introductory textbook. Mates also defended a stance akin to Pyrrhonian skepticism, arguing that major philosophical problems are intelligible but defy solution, leading to perplexity rather than ataraxia.