Allen Phillips Griffiths

Summary

Allen Phillips Griffiths (11 June 1927 - 1 December 2014) was a Welsh philosopher and snuff enthusiast.

Allen Phillips Griffiths
A. Phillips Griffiths (in 1971)
Born(1927-06-11)11 June 1927
Died1 December 2014(2014-12-01) (aged 87)
NationalityWelsh
OccupationProfessor
Notable work Knowledge and Belief
On Belief

Life edit

A. Phillips Griffiths (as he was published) or "Griff" (as he was known to colleagues) was born in Llandaff, in Cardiff, Wales on 11 June 1927.[1] He was the son of John Phillips Griffiths (d. 1941) and Elsie Maud née Jones (d. 1975).[2][3]

After schooling at Whitchurch Cardiff Grammar,[1] in 1943 he began undergraduate studies of History at (the then) University College, Cardiff.[4] His studies were interrupted by national service begun at the end of the war for which he served in the Intelligence Corps and was deployed to the Middle East.[4]

After his military service, he returned to study at Cardiff, graduating with first class honours in 1951. In 1953, under the supervision of Professor H.H. Price,[1] he received a B.Phil. at Oxford.[4][5] He first taught at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (1955–7),[1] before moving to Birkbeck College (1957–64).[4][1]

In 1964, Griffiths became founding Professor of Philosophy of the new University of Warwick. At the time, he was the youngest professor of philosophy in the UK.[4][1] He served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor there from 1970 to 1977, retiring in 1992 as professor emeritus.[1] He served as the Director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy from 1979 to 1994.[5]

He died on 1 December 2014.[5][4]

He had been a noted enthusiast of snuff.[4][6]

Select works edit

Authored papers/chapters

  • (1956) "Formulating Moral Principles" Mind. 65 (1): 38–48.
  • (1957) ‘"Justifying Moral Principles" Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society. 58: 103–124
  • (1963) "On Belief’" Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, vol. 63 (1962–3) Reprinted in Knowledge and Belief (1967)

Edited books

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Warner, Martin (2006), "Phillips Griffiths, Allen", The Continuum Encyclopedia of British Philosophy, Continuum, doi:10.1093/acref/9780199754694.001.0001/acref-9780199754694-e-1660, retrieved 5 December 2023
  2. ^ "Griffiths, Prof. Allen Phillips, (11 June 1927–1 Dec. 2014), Professor of Philosophy, University of Warwick, 1964–92, then Emeritus; Director, Royal Institute of Philosophy, 1979–94". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u18228. Retrieved 13 December 2023. Born 11 June 1927; s of John Phillips Griffiths and Elsie Maud (née Jones); m 1st, 1948, Margaret Lock (d 1974); one s one d; 2nd, 1984, Vera Clare (marr. diss. 1990); died 1 Dec. 2014
  3. ^ "GRIFFITHS, Prof (Allen) Phillips". Debrett's People of Today. London: Debrett's Peerage. 1995. p. 817. ISBN 978-1-870520-24-9 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Miller, David. "In Memoriam: Professor Allen Phillips Griffiths". University of Warwick. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Allen Phillips Griffiths (1927–2014)" (PDF). Philosophy. 90 (2): 361–362. April 2015. doi:10.1017/S0031819115000078. ISSN 0031-8191.
  6. ^ Griffiths, Prof. A. Phillips. "Snufftaking". Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2020.

External links edit

  • "Do we know what knowing is?" (video) Godfrey Vesey introduces a discussion between Martha Kneale and Griffiths as to whether knowledge can be satisfactorily defined as justified true belief (Open University, 1972).
  • "Kant 2 : moral conflict" (video) Oswald Hanfling introduces a discussion between Griffiths and Bernard WIlliams (OU, 1972).