Mary Warnock, Baroness Warnock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Baroness Warnock
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Born |
Helen Mary Wilson
14 April 1924 |
| Died | 20 March 2019 (aged 94) |
| Alma mater |
|
| Known for | Philosopher of morality, education, and mind, and a writer on existentialism |
| Board member of | Active Training and Education Trust |
| Spouse(s) |
Geoffrey Warnock
(m. 1949; died 1995) |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives | Duncan Wilson (brother) |
Helen Mary Warnock, Baroness Warnock (born Helen Mary Wilson; 14 April 1924 – 20 March 2019) was an English philosopher. She studied morality, education, and the mind. She also wrote about existentialism, a way of thinking about life and meaning.
Mary Warnock is best known for leading a special group. Their report helped create a law called the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. This law guides how human fertility treatments are done. She was also the head of Girton College, Cambridge, from 1984 to 1991.
Contents
Early Life and School
Mary Warnock was born Helen Mary Wilson on 14 April 1924. She was born in Winchester, England. She was the youngest of seven children. Her father, Archibald Edward Wilson, was a teacher at Winchester College. He passed away before she was born. Her mother, Ethel, raised her and her siblings.
Mary was mostly looked after by her mother and a nanny. One of her brothers, Malcolm, had autism. He lived in a nursing home. Another brother died when he was very young. Her other brother, Duncan Wilson, became a British diplomat. He was an Ambassador to the Soviet Union.
When Mary was a baby, her family moved to a large Victorian house. She and her sister Stefana were cared for by their nanny. Mary went to boarding schools: St Swithun's School, Winchester and Prior's Field School.
Mary once said that as a child, she felt embarrassed by her mother. Her mother dressed differently and walked in a unique way. But when Mary was about 15, she started to admire her mother's unique style. She also admired her mother's independent thinking.
Her family had money, which allowed Mary to get a good education. In 1942, she started studying classics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. During World War II, she paused her studies. She taught for two years at Sherborne School for Girls. She returned to Oxford and finished her degree in 1948.
Career and Contributions
Mary Warnock had a long and important career. She worked as a philosopher, educator, and public servant.
Philosophical Work
From 1949 to 1966, Mary Warnock was a philosophy teacher. She worked at St Hugh's College, Oxford. She was friends with other famous thinkers. These included Isaiah Berlin and Kingsley Amis. She also took part in philosophy discussions on the radio.
She wrote several books about existentialism. This is a type of philosophy that looks at human existence. She published her book Imagination in 1976. Later, she became the head of Girton College, Cambridge. She retired in 1992. Even after retiring, she kept writing books. These included The Uses of Philosophy and An Intelligent Person's Guide to Ethics.
Focus on Education
In the early 1960s, Mary Warnock joined the Oxfordshire Local Education Authority. From 1966 to 1972, she was the Headmistress of the Oxford High School for Girls. She wrote three books about education in the late 1970s. She also wrote columns for the Times Educational Supplement.
Public Service and Policy
Mary Warnock was appointed to lead a UK inquiry in 1974. This inquiry was about special education. Her report, published in 1978, changed how special education was handled. It focused on teaching children with learning difficulties in regular schools. It also created a system to give special support to children who needed it. Later, Mary Warnock felt that this system had problems. She thought it was too expensive and didn't always help children enough.
From 1982 to 1984, she led another important group. This group looked into human fertility treatment and using human embryos for research. Her report led to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. This law made rules for procedures like in vitro fertilisation (IVF). It also set a limit on how long human embryos could be used for research. Many people felt her report created a good ethical agreement.
In 2008, Mary Warnock spoke about people with dementia. She suggested they should be allowed to choose to die. This was if they felt they were a "burden" to their families or the state. This idea caused some discussion.
Charity Work
Mary Warnock was the President of Listening Books. This charity provides audiobooks for people who find it hard to read. This could be due to illness, disability, or other reasons. She also supported The Iris Project. This charity helps promote the teaching of classics.
Awards and Recognition
In 1984, Mary Warnock was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). This is a high honour. She became a life peer in 1985. This meant she could sit in the House of Lords as Baroness Warnock. She retired from the House of Lords in 2015.
In 2017, she was given another high honour. She became a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH). This was for her work in charity and helping children with special education needs.
She received many other awards and honorary degrees. In 2018, she was named one of the ten most influential people in education. This was for her work on special educational needs. She also won the 2018 Dan David Prize for her work in bioethics.
Personal Life
Mary Warnock married Geoffrey Warnock in 1949. He later became the head of Oxford University. They had five children: two sons and three daughters. Geoffrey passed away in 1995. Mary Warnock died on 20 March 2019, at the age of 94.
She was often described as an "atheist Anglican". This means she was a member of the Anglican Church but did not believe in God.
Works
Mary Warnock wrote many books and reports.
As chair of committees:
- The Warnock Report (1978): Special Educational Needs. This report was about the education of children with special needs.
- The Warnock Report (1984): Report of the Committee of Enquiry into Human Fertilisation and Embryology. This report led to new laws about fertility treatments.
As author:
- Ethics since 1900 (1960)
- The Philosophy of Sartre (1963)
- Existentialist Ethics (1967)
- Existentialism (1970)
- Imagination (1976)
- Schools of Thought (1977)
- Memory (1987)
- The Uses of Philosophy (1992)
- Imagination and Time (1994)
- Mary Warnock: A Memoir – People and Places (2001)
- Making Babies: Is There a Right To Have Children? (2001)
- The Intelligent Person's Guide to Ethics (1998, 2004)
- Nature and Mortality: Recollections of a Philosopher in Public Life (2004)
- Easeful Death, with Elisabeth MacDonald (2008)
- Dishonest to God: On Keeping Religion Out of Politics (2010)
- Critical Reflections on Ownership (2015)
As editor:
- Sartre: A Collection of Critical Essays (1971)
- Women Philosophers (1996)
- Art for All?: Their Policies and Our Culture (2000; with Mark Wallinger)
See also
In Spanish: Mary Warnock para niños
- Visiting Gresham Professors
