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Lewis White Beck
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Lewis White Beck
Lewis White Beck (September 26, 1913 – June 7, 1997) was an American philosopher and scholar of German philosophy specializing in German idealism at the University of Rochester. As Chairman of the Department of Philosophy, he achieved international recognition for encouraging collaborative research by scholars within the United States and Germany into the philosophy of Immanuel Kant during the post-World War II era. Beck also translated several of Kant's works from German, including the Critique of Practical Reason, and authored Studies in the Philosophy of Kant (1965).
Born in Griffin, Georgia, Beck was the youngest of four children in a family raised by Erasmus W. Beck and Ann H. Beck. His siblings included: Evelyn H. Beck, Edwin H. Beck and Sarah A Beck. His father was employed as both an engineer and a sales representative.
In his youth, Beck exhibited a natural talent for philosophical discourse and repeatedly raised questions related to the famous Scopes trial. Much to his delight, he was formally introduced to the subject of philosophy by his sister who provided him with a copy of Will Durant's The Story of Philosophy at the age of fourteen. This subsequently inspired him to investigate the scientific writings of Thomas Henry Huxley and to acquire employment as a "lab assistant" while enrolled in high school.
Beck's passion for dabbling in the synthesis of organic compounds after hours attracted the attention of his mentors and he was excused from studying introductory chemistry courses upon being enrolled at Emory University. Beck's performance in the quantitative chemistry lab was hindered, however, by an undiagnosed case of color blindness which he successfully concealed. Nevertheless, his perseverance was rewarded and by the conclusion of his junior year he was honored with an unusual admission to an honorary fraternity for chemists.
Beck already suspected that his affliction might prove to be a dangerous hindrance to his aspiration of becoming a professional chemist. However, as Beck soon attended a philosophical lecture by Leroy Loemker on "The Limits of Scientific Concepts" which was based upon the writings of Heinrich Rickert and Ernst Cassirer. Beck was captivated by the prospect of conducting "gedankenexperiments" without toiling in a dangerous laboratory. He immediately convinced Loemker to take on the monumental task of tutoring him in philosophy during his junior year so that he could change his major before graduating. One year later, Beck entered graduate school and remained forever grateful to Loemker for his guidance and personal interest in Beck's aspiration to join the ranks of "philosophic workmen".
Beck received his bachelor's degree Phi Beta Kappa from Emory University in 1934, his master's degree from Duke University in 1935, and his doctoral degree from Duke University in 1937. His dissertation was entitled: "Synopsis: A Study in the Theory of Knowledge.
Before moving to Rochester, Beck was an international student and a Rosenwald Fund Fellow at the University of Berlin (1937–38; an interview about his experiences there appeared in The Atlanta Constitution, September 18, 1938), an instructor at Emory University (1938–41), Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Delaware (1941–48), and associate professor at Lehigh University (1946–48), eventually becoming professor (1948–49).
Beck joined the faculty at the University of Rochester in 1949 and served as Chairman of its Department of Philosophy from 1949 to 1966. He also served as Associate Dean of the Graduate School (1952-1956) as well as the Dean of the Graduate School (1956–1957) where he helped to raise international recognition for the PhD. program in Philosophy. During this time he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in the field of Philosophy (1957). He is credited with assisting his colleague Colin Murray Turbayne in his work The Myth of Metaphor (1962). Subsequently, he collaborated with his colleague Robert L. Holmes in the publication of a comprehensive introduction to the study of philosophy, Philosophical Inquiry: An Introduction to Philosophy (1968)). In 1970 he also collaborated with the Kantian scholar Gottfried Martin at the University of Bonn to organize the first International Kant Congress to be hosted in the United States and helped to established an enduring close collaboration between Kantian scholars in both Germany and America.
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Lewis White Beck
Lewis White Beck (September 26, 1913 – June 7, 1997) was an American philosopher and scholar of German philosophy specializing in German idealism at the University of Rochester. As Chairman of the Department of Philosophy, he achieved international recognition for encouraging collaborative research by scholars within the United States and Germany into the philosophy of Immanuel Kant during the post-World War II era. Beck also translated several of Kant's works from German, including the Critique of Practical Reason, and authored Studies in the Philosophy of Kant (1965).
Born in Griffin, Georgia, Beck was the youngest of four children in a family raised by Erasmus W. Beck and Ann H. Beck. His siblings included: Evelyn H. Beck, Edwin H. Beck and Sarah A Beck. His father was employed as both an engineer and a sales representative.
In his youth, Beck exhibited a natural talent for philosophical discourse and repeatedly raised questions related to the famous Scopes trial. Much to his delight, he was formally introduced to the subject of philosophy by his sister who provided him with a copy of Will Durant's The Story of Philosophy at the age of fourteen. This subsequently inspired him to investigate the scientific writings of Thomas Henry Huxley and to acquire employment as a "lab assistant" while enrolled in high school.
Beck's passion for dabbling in the synthesis of organic compounds after hours attracted the attention of his mentors and he was excused from studying introductory chemistry courses upon being enrolled at Emory University. Beck's performance in the quantitative chemistry lab was hindered, however, by an undiagnosed case of color blindness which he successfully concealed. Nevertheless, his perseverance was rewarded and by the conclusion of his junior year he was honored with an unusual admission to an honorary fraternity for chemists.
Beck already suspected that his affliction might prove to be a dangerous hindrance to his aspiration of becoming a professional chemist. However, as Beck soon attended a philosophical lecture by Leroy Loemker on "The Limits of Scientific Concepts" which was based upon the writings of Heinrich Rickert and Ernst Cassirer. Beck was captivated by the prospect of conducting "gedankenexperiments" without toiling in a dangerous laboratory. He immediately convinced Loemker to take on the monumental task of tutoring him in philosophy during his junior year so that he could change his major before graduating. One year later, Beck entered graduate school and remained forever grateful to Loemker for his guidance and personal interest in Beck's aspiration to join the ranks of "philosophic workmen".
Beck received his bachelor's degree Phi Beta Kappa from Emory University in 1934, his master's degree from Duke University in 1935, and his doctoral degree from Duke University in 1937. His dissertation was entitled: "Synopsis: A Study in the Theory of Knowledge.
Before moving to Rochester, Beck was an international student and a Rosenwald Fund Fellow at the University of Berlin (1937–38; an interview about his experiences there appeared in The Atlanta Constitution, September 18, 1938), an instructor at Emory University (1938–41), Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Delaware (1941–48), and associate professor at Lehigh University (1946–48), eventually becoming professor (1948–49).
Beck joined the faculty at the University of Rochester in 1949 and served as Chairman of its Department of Philosophy from 1949 to 1966. He also served as Associate Dean of the Graduate School (1952-1956) as well as the Dean of the Graduate School (1956–1957) where he helped to raise international recognition for the PhD. program in Philosophy. During this time he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in the field of Philosophy (1957). He is credited with assisting his colleague Colin Murray Turbayne in his work The Myth of Metaphor (1962). Subsequently, he collaborated with his colleague Robert L. Holmes in the publication of a comprehensive introduction to the study of philosophy, Philosophical Inquiry: An Introduction to Philosophy (1968)). In 1970 he also collaborated with the Kantian scholar Gottfried Martin at the University of Bonn to organize the first International Kant Congress to be hosted in the United States and helped to established an enduring close collaboration between Kantian scholars in both Germany and America.