Alexander George (philosopher)
Encyclopedia
Alexander George is a professor of philosophy
at Amherst College
. He received his B.A. in 1979 from Columbia College
and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University
in 1981 and 1986, respectively. He was also a junior research fellow at New College
and Wolfson College
, Oxford University. In 2001 he became honorary A.M. on Amherst college. His research interests include philosophy of language
, philosophy of mathematics
, and the history of analytic philosophy
.
He is the founder of AskPhilosophers.org, a website that allows visitors to submit philosophical questions to a panel of professors of philosophy. The site was launched October 1, 2005. As of October 2010, there have been over 3,250 questions posted and over 4,200 responses. The questions have come from people of all ages and all walks of life, from countries around the world. The purpose of the website is to put the skills of trained philosophers at the service of the public, thereby helping to bridge the gap between the philosophical questions people encounter in everyday life and the answers and ideas that philosophers have come up with over the past 2,500 years. A book of selected questions and answers from the site, What Would Socrates Say?, has been published in many countries.
His interest in chess problems led him to start the internet forum ChessProblem.net. He also made some retroanalytical compositions. With fellow Amherst professor Lawrence Douglas, Professor George publishes humor pieces in The Chronicle of Higher Education and other publications. Sense and Nonsensibility (ISBN 0-7432-6048-1), a book that pokes gentle fun at the worlds of literature and academia, appeared in 2004.
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
. He received his B.A. in 1979 from Columbia College
Columbia College of Columbia University
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King George II...
and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1981 and 1986, respectively. He was also a junior research fellow at New College
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
and Wolfson College
Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Located in north Oxford along the River Cherwell, Wolfson is an all-graduate college with over sixty governing body fellows, in addition to both research and junior research fellows. It caters to a wide range of...
, Oxford University. In 2001 he became honorary A.M. on Amherst college. His research interests include philosophy of language
Philosophy of language
Philosophy of language is the reasoned inquiry into the nature, origins, and usage of language. As a topic, the philosophy of language for analytic philosophers is concerned with four central problems: the nature of meaning, language use, language cognition, and the relationship between language...
, philosophy of mathematics
Philosophy of mathematics
The philosophy of mathematics is the branch of philosophy that studies the philosophical assumptions, foundations, and implications of mathematics. The aim of the philosophy of mathematics is to provide an account of the nature and methodology of mathematics and to understand the place of...
, and the history of analytic philosophy
Analytic philosophy
Analytic philosophy is a generic term for a style of philosophy that came to dominate English-speaking countries in the 20th century...
.
He is the founder of AskPhilosophers.org, a website that allows visitors to submit philosophical questions to a panel of professors of philosophy. The site was launched October 1, 2005. As of October 2010, there have been over 3,250 questions posted and over 4,200 responses. The questions have come from people of all ages and all walks of life, from countries around the world. The purpose of the website is to put the skills of trained philosophers at the service of the public, thereby helping to bridge the gap between the philosophical questions people encounter in everyday life and the answers and ideas that philosophers have come up with over the past 2,500 years. A book of selected questions and answers from the site, What Would Socrates Say?, has been published in many countries.
His interest in chess problems led him to start the internet forum ChessProblem.net. He also made some retroanalytical compositions. With fellow Amherst professor Lawrence Douglas, Professor George publishes humor pieces in The Chronicle of Higher Education and other publications. Sense and Nonsensibility (ISBN 0-7432-6048-1), a book that pokes gentle fun at the worlds of literature and academia, appeared in 2004.