Harold Arthur Prichard

Harold Arthur Prichard, born in London on October 30, 1871, was an influential English philosopher who spent most of his life in Oxford. Educated at Clifton College and New College, Oxford, he initially studied mathematics before excelling in Classics (Greats). After a brief stint in law, Prichard dedicated himself to academia, holding fellowships at Hertford College and Trinity College. He later became White's Professor of Moral Philosophy and a fellow of Corpus Christi College. Prichard is best known for his seminal 1912 essay, "Does Moral Philosophy Rest on a Mistake?" In this work, he championed ethical intuitionism, asserting that fundamental moral obligations are self-evident and cannot be proven through arguments based on non-moral facts, a position he argued also served as a critique of utilitarianism's ability to ground obligation. His philosophical work profoundly influenced subsequent ethicists, including John Rawls. Prichard passed away on December 29, 1947.