William Barrett

William Christopher Barrett (December 30, 1913 – September 8, 1992) was an American philosopher who was professor of philosophy at New York University from 1950 to 1979, and later at Pace University. Barrett began post-secondary studies at the City College of New York at 15 and received his PhD at Columbia University. He served as an editor of Partisan Review and later as the literary critic for The Atlantic Monthly magazine. Barrett authored philosophical works aimed at a general audience, including "Irrational Man" and "The Illusion of Technique." He was influenced by Marxism and existentialism, as well as by philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Søren Kierkegaard, and Martin Heidegger. He also edited D. T. Suzuki's "Zen Buddhism." Barrett died of esophageal cancer at the age of 78. He is remembered for "Barrett's Law," which states that not everyone reading scholarly works is an expert in the discussed fields.