P. F. Strawson

Sir Peter Frederick Strawson was a prominent English philosopher, born on November 23, 1919, in Ealing, London, and who died on February 13, 2006, in London. He spent the majority of his academic career at the University of Oxford, holding the esteemed position of Waynflete Professor of Metaphysical Philosophy from 1968 to 1987. Before this, he was a college lecturer and tutorial fellow at University College, Oxford, where he returned after his retirement. Strawson served in the Royal Artillery and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during World War II. His philosophical work significantly influenced contemporary thought, particularly in the areas of metaphysics and the philosophy of language. He gained early recognition for his critique of Bertrand Russell's theory of descriptions in his 1950 article "On Referring." In his seminal book "Individuals" (1959), Strawson advocated for "descriptive metaphysics," aiming to articulate the fundamental conceptual schemes underlying human thought about the world. He distinguished this from "revisionary metaphysics," which seeks to alter such schemes. Another major contribution was his essay "Freedom and Resentment" (1962), where he defended the compatibility of moral responsibility with determinism by grounding morality in natural "reactive attitudes" rather than metaphysical freedom. Strawson was recognized for his academic achievements, becoming a Fellow of the British Academy, a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and President of the Aristotelian Society. He was knighted in 1977 for his services to philosophy. His son, Galen Strawson, is also a notable philosopher.