Herbert Morris

Herbert Morris (1928 – December 14, 2022) was an American philosopher, legal scholar, and literary critic who spent his career at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Born in New York City in 1928, Morris earned his Bachelor of Arts from UCLA in 1951, his Bachelor of Law from Yale in 1954, and his Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford University in 1956. He joined the UCLA Philosophy Department in 1956 and later held a joint appointment with the UCLA School of Law starting in 1962. Morris served as Dean of Humanities of UCLA's College of Letters and Science from 1983 to 1993, and as Interim Provost of the College from 1992 to 1993. He also chaired the Board of Governors of the University's Humanities Research Institute from 1988 to 1990. After retiring, Morris continued to teach at UCLA and remained an active writer. His research focused on moral and legal philosophy, with his book 'On Guilt and Innocence: Essays in Legal Philosophy and Moral Psychology' (1976) and his paper 'Persons and Punishment' (1968) being particularly influential. He also contributed to literary criticism. Morris died in Los Angeles on December 14, 2022, at the age of 94.