The Philosopher

Harry Frankfurt

The face

The background

Nationality:
American
Schools:
Analytic philosophy
Branchs:
Moral philosophy, Philosophy of mind, free will, Philosophy of Love, Philosophy of action
Period:
Contemporary philosophy

The synopsis

Harry Gordon Frankfurt, born David Bernard Stern on May 29, 1929, was an American philosopher. He served as a professor emeritus of philosophy at Princeton University, where he taught from 1990 to 2002, and previously held positions at Yale University, Rockefeller University, and Ohio State University. Frankfurt made significant contributions to ethics and the philosophy of mind, with a central theme in his work being the concept of "caring" – viewing something as important and reflecting one's character. He defined a person as a being with "second-order volitions," desires about desires, distinguishing them from "wantons" who act on desires without reflection. In ethics, he is known for his "Frankfurt cases," thought experiments challenging the principle that moral responsibility requires the ability to do otherwise. His most widely recognized work is "On Bullshit" (2005), which explores the nature of "bullshitting" and its distinction from lying, followed by "On Truth" (2006). He also explored topics such as love and inequality. Frankfurt passed away on July 16, 2023, in Santa Monica, California.

The works

The quotes

I used to teach at Yale, which was at one time a center of postmodernist literary theory. Derrida was there. Paul de Man was there.
Harry Frankfurt
As a philosopher, I'm not obliged to explore every unknown wilderness.
Harry Frankfurt
It is impossible for someone to lie unless he thinks he knows the truth. A person who lies is thereby responding to the truth, and he is to that extent respectful of it.
Harry Frankfurt
I was raised in Brooklyn and in Baltimore. My father was a bookkeeper. When I was 36 years old, my mother told me I was adopted.
Harry Frankfurt