Allan Gotthelf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Allan Gotthelf
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | December 30, 1942 |
| Died | August 30, 2013 (aged 70) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States |
| Alma mater |
|
|
Notable work
|
On Ayn Rand A Companion to Ayn Rand |
| Era | Contemporary philosophy |
| Region | Western Philosophy |
| School | Objectivism |
| Thesis | Aristotle’s Conception of Final Causality (1975) |
|
Main interests
|
Aristotle, Teleology, Ayn Rand, Objectivism |
Allan Stanley Gotthelf (born December 30, 1942 – died August 30, 2013) was an American philosopher. A philosopher is someone who studies big questions about life and knowledge. Allan Gotthelf was especially good at understanding the ideas of two important thinkers: Aristotle and Ayn Rand.
Contents
Allan Gotthelf's Journey in Philosophy
Allan Gotthelf was born in Brooklyn, New York. This was on December 30, 1942. He loved learning from a young age.
His College Years
Allan started his higher education studying mathematics.
- He earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in math from Brooklyn College in 1963.
- Then, he got a Master of Arts (MA) degree in math from Pennsylvania State University in 1964.
After that, he decided to study philosophy.
- He received a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) from Columbia University in 1972.
- He then earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in philosophy from Columbia in 1975.
- At Columbia, he learned from famous professors like John Herman Randall, Jr.. Randall was an expert on Aristotle.
His Important Research
Allan Gotthelf's PhD paper was about "Aristotle's Conception of Final Causality." This means he studied Aristotle's ideas about why things happen. His paper was so good that it won a prize. It was published in a journal called The Review of Metaphysics in 1976.
Teaching and Academic Roles
Allan Gotthelf taught philosophy at several universities.
- He started his teaching career at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.
- He became a professor at The College of New Jersey. He was an emeritus professor there, meaning he had retired but kept his title.
- He was also a visiting professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Here, he studied the history and philosophy of science.
- From 2003 to 2012, he held a special fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. This fellowship was for studying Objectivism.
His Work on Aristotle
Allan Gotthelf wrote many articles and reviews. These were about ancient philosophy and science. He focused on Aristotle's scientific method and biology. He wanted to understand how Aristotle thought about the natural world.
He helped organize many international meetings about Aristotle.
- In 1988, he co-organized a Summer Institute on Aristotle's ideas.
- He edited a book called Aristotle on Nature and Living Things. This book honored another scholar, David M. Balme.
- He also helped edit Philosophical Issues in Aristotle's Biology.
- He worked on publishing David M. Balme's editions of Aristotle's History of Animals.
Allan Gotthelf received many awards for his work on Aristotle.
- In 2004, a special conference was held to celebrate his contributions.
- A book of essays honoring him was published in 2010.
- In 2012, a collection of his own papers on Aristotle was published. It was called Teleology, First Principles, and Scientific Method in Aristotle's Biology.
Later Teaching and Passing
In 2012, Allan Gotthelf joined Rutgers University. He taught there until he passed away. He died from cancer on August 30, 2013.
Allan Gotthelf and Ayn Rand's Philosophy
Allan Gotthelf was deeply involved with the ideas of Ayn Rand. Her philosophy is called Objectivism.
Meeting Ayn Rand
- Allan first read Ayn Rand's book Atlas Shrugged in 1961. He was 18 years old.
- He attended many lectures at the Nathaniel Branden Institute. This is where he first met Ayn Rand in 1962.
- For over 15 years, he had many chances to discuss philosophy with Rand.
- He was part of Rand's workshops on Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology. This book is about how we gain knowledge.
- Ayn Rand chose him to create the indexes for her books. These included The Virtue of Selfishness and Capitalism: the Unknown Ideal.
Sharing Objectivism
- In 1963, Allan started one of the first "Ayn Rand Clubs" at Brooklyn College. Ayn Rand herself gave a lecture there to over 1000 people.
- Allan and another philosopher, Leonard Peikoff, encouraged Rand to write her book on concepts.
- Starting in 1964, he gave many talks about Objectivism. He spoke at colleges and groups in many countries.
His Writings on Ayn Rand
- Allan Gotthelf wrote On Ayn Rand. This is a very popular book in the Wadsworth Philosophers series.
- He also co-wrote the entry about Rand in the Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers.
- He co-edited a book called Ayn Rand: A Companion to Her Works and Thought.
- He wrote essays for other books about Ayn Rand's works.
The Ayn Rand Society
Allan Gotthelf was one of the people who started The Ayn Rand Society in 1987. This group is connected to the American Philosophical Association. He was the secretary and chairman of this group until he died.
He was also an editor for the Ayn Rand Society Philosophical Studies series. This series publishes books about Ayn Rand's philosophy.
- The first book, Metaethics, Egoism, and Virtue, came out in 2011. It included his essay "The Choice to Value (1990)".
- The second book, Concepts and Their Role in Knowledge, was planned for 2013. It started with his essay "Ayn Rand's Theory of Concepts".
Allan Gotthelf Prize
The Allan Gotthelf Prize was created at The College of New Jersey. This happened after Allan Gotthelf retired. It is given every year to a top student in the Classical Studies program. The winner is recognized at a special ceremony. Their name is also put on a permanent plaque.
See Also
- American philosophy
- Aristotle
- Ayn Rand
- List of American philosophers
