William Ernest Hocking facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Ernest Hocking
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| Born | August 10, 1873 |
| Died | June 12, 1966 (aged 92) |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Era | Contemporary philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Objective idealism American idealism |
| Institutions | Harvard University |
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Influences
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William Ernest Hocking (born August 10, 1873 – died June 12, 1966) was an important American philosopher. He taught at Harvard University and was known for his ideas about idealism. Idealism is a way of thinking that suggests reality is based on ideas or minds.
Hocking continued the work of his teacher, Josiah Royce, who started American idealism. He tried to combine idealism with other ways of thinking like empiricism (learning from experience), naturalism (seeing things through science), and pragmatism (focusing on what works). He believed that ideas must work in the real world to be true. He famously said, "That which does not work is not true."
He studied many topics, including the philosophy of religion, human rights, and world politics. He also wrote about human nature and education. In 1932, he led a big study about Christian missions. This study suggested new ways for missionaries to work, focusing more on education and helping people, and respecting local cultures.
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Early Life and Learning
William Ernest Hocking was born in 1873 in Cleveland, Ohio. His family came from Cornwall in England. He went to public schools and finished high school.
Before going to college, he worked as a mapmaker and a printer's helper. In 1894, he started at Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts. He planned to become an engineer.
However, after reading a book called The Principles of Psychology by William James, Hocking decided to study philosophy. He worked for four years as a teacher and high school principal to save money for his studies.
In 1899, he started at Harvard University. There, he studied philosophy with Josiah Royce. He earned his master's degree in 1901. From 1902 to 1903, he studied in Germany. He was the first American to study with the famous philosopher Edmund Husserl. He finished his PhD at Harvard in 1904.
His Career as a Philosopher
Hocking began teaching about different religions at Andover Theological Seminary. In 1906, he moved to California with his wife. He joined the philosophy team at the University of California, Berkeley.
In 1908, he moved to Yale University. There, he became an assistant professor. His first major book, The Meaning of God in Human Experience, was published in 1912.
In 1914, Hocking returned to Harvard. He became a special professor there, teaching about religion, morals, and government. During World War I, in 1917, he was one of the first American engineers to go to the front lines in France. In 1918, he checked on "war issues" courses in army training camps. These experiences led him to write another book about morale.
After the war, Hocking continued his career at Harvard. He was chosen to join the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1921. For many years, he also gave talks at the Naval War College. He spoke about morale, psychology, and leadership.
Hocking visited China, which influenced his thinking. He wrote about the Chinese philosopher Zhu Xi. Hocking believed Zhu Xi's ideas were "scientific" and could teach Westerners about democracy.
In 1936, Hocking gave important lectures at Oxford and Cambridge universities in England. These talks were about how Christianity related to other world religions. He started to believe in a universal religion that could bring people together. He thought that ordinary people around the world had a "universal sense of the presence of God."
Hocking was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1943. That same year, he retired to Madison, New Hampshire. He lived there until he passed away 23 years later.
Study of Missions
From 1930 to 1932, William Ernest Hocking led a group called the Commission of Appraisal. This group studied the work of six Protestant Christian groups doing mission work in India, Burma, China, and Japan.
Christian missionaries had been working in Asia for a long time. But some groups noticed that donations were falling. There was also growing resistance from local people. This suggested that changes might be needed in how missions were run.
The commission's report was called Re-Thinking Missions: A Laymen's Inquiry after One Hundred Years (1932). It became known as the "Hocking report." This report showed new ideas about the role of Western missionaries in other cultures. It caused a lot of debate.
The commission members traveled to Asian cities. They met with missionaries and local people. In China, Hocking talked with Pearl S. Buck, a writer who also had similar ideas about missions. She later supported the report.
The report suggested several changes:
- Focus more on education and helping people's well-being.
- Give more power and control to local groups.
- Rely less on just trying to convert people.
- Show more respect and appreciation for local religions.
The commission also suggested changes in the United States. They wanted to create one organization to coordinate all Protestant mission efforts.
Hocking's Philosophical Ideas
In his ideas about political philosophy, Hocking believed that the idea of liberalism needed to change. He thought that every person should be a "whole man." He felt that humans have only one natural right: to develop their own abilities. The most important freedom is "the freedom to perfect one's freedom."
He saw Christianity as a big help in creating world civilization. But he also believed that religious knowledge doesn't come from strict rules or beliefs. Instead, it comes from a person's own experiences.
Hocking was influenced by many German philosophers. He studied with famous thinkers like Edmund Husserl. He strongly defended idealism in the United States. He believed that nothing that "could be" was truly illogical. He also said there was nothing in "what was" that couldn't be known.
Negative Pragmatism
One of Hocking's most important ideas is "negative pragmatism." This means that if something "works" in a practical way, it might be true or it might not. But if something definitely does not work, then it must be false.
Think of it this way: if an idea doesn't work, it can't be true. This is because truth always works. What seems to be working might not always be true. For example, it looks like the sun rises and sets. But this is actually false. The Earth is moving, not the sun. This illusion made ancient people wrongly believe the Earth was the center of the universe. We now know the Earth goes around the sun.
This idea was supported later by Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. He said that an idea thought to be true "could never be proved right." This is because a new experiment tomorrow might prove it wrong. He also said, "if it disagrees with experiment, it is wrong." This shows how Hocking's idea of "what does not work must be false" is a strong way to test ideas.
Family Life
William Hocking married Agnes O'Reilly on June 28, 1905. She was the daughter of a journalist and poet named John Boyle O'Reilly. They had three children: Richard (born 1906), Hester (born 1909), and Joan (born 1911).
After they moved back to Cambridge, Agnes Hocking started an outdoor school at their home. This school grew into the Shady Hill School, which is still open today near Harvard Square.
Their son, Richard, became a philosophy professor. Their daughter, Hester, was involved in the St. Augustine movement for civil rights. In 1964, Hester and three other women were arrested for protesting in a segregated lunch bar. This event made big news at the time. Joan's husband, Edward A. Kracke Jr., was a historian who studied China.
Later Years and Death
In 1955, Hocking's wife, Agnes, passed away at age 78. They had been married for 50 years. Hocking published his last book, The Coming World Civilisation, in 1956.
William Ernest Hocking died on June 12, 1966, at his farm in Madison, New Hampshire. He was 92 years old. He was survived by his three children and eight grandchildren.
Selected Books
- 1912, The Meaning of God in Human Experience. This book was printed 14 times.
- 1918, Morale and Its Enemies.
- 1926, Man and the State.
- 1929, Types of Philosophy. This book was printed three times.
- 1932, Re-Thinking Missions: A Laymen's Inquiry After One Hundred Years. This was the report from the Commission of Appraisal.
- 1938, Living Religions and a World Faith. This book came from his lectures in England.
- 1956, The Coming World Civilisation. Hocking called this book "a summary of a life's thought." It was still being printed in the 1980s.
See also
- American philosophy
- List of American philosophers
