Frederick Sontag
Encyclopedia
Frederick Earl Sontag was a professor of philosophy and author. He taught at Pomona College
in Claremont, California
from 1952 to 2009, retiring shortly before his death.
in 1949 with a B.A. (with great distinction), then attended Yale University
where he earned an M.A. in 1951 and a Ph.D. in 1952.
Sontag was the Robert C. Denison Professor of Philosophy at Pomona College
, where he worked from 1952 to 2009. He had also been chairman of the department (1960–67 and 1976–77) and chairman of the Committee on Honors Study (1961–70). He also served as a visiting professor at a number of institutions (Union Theological Seminary
, 1959–60, Collegio di Sant'Anselmo, Rome, 1966–67, University of Copenhagen
, 1972, University of Kyoto, 1974, and East-West Center
, Honolulu, 1974). He was the theologian-in-residence at American Church in Paris in 1973 and Fulbright Regional American Professor, East Asian and Pacific Area from 1977 to 1978.
His research interests were Existentialism
, Metaphysics
, Philosophy of Religion
, and Philosophical Theology
. Sontag was a minister in the United Church of Christ
. He was considered an expert on the Unification Church
. In the 1970s he interviewed church founder Sun Myung Moon
and church members in Europe, America, and Asia while researching for a book published in 1977.
In 2000, Sontag offered to let a troubled student spend the night at his home. But as he drove the student to his dormitory to pick up some clothes, the student became agitated, drew a knife and stabbed Sontag twice. Sontag testified in the student's defense at his trial in which he was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He said about the incident: "My genes lack something, I don't seem to hold grudges...I believe in restoring relationships."
In a 2004 interview with Pomona College Magazine, singer, actor, songwriter, and former Pomona College student Kris Kristofferson
mentioned Sontag as an important influence in his life.
Upon his retirement from Pomona College in May 2009, Sontag was awarded the Pomona College Trustees’ Medal of Merit, as "an extraordinarily magnanimous member of this community." He died of congestive heart failure on June 14, 2009. A research fellowship fund, a gate, and a theater are named in his honor.
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
in Claremont, California
Claremont, California
Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
from 1952 to 2009, retiring shortly before his death.
Life and academic career
Sontag served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946, during the Second World War, becoming a sergeant. He graduated from Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1949 with a B.A. (with great distinction), then attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where he earned an M.A. in 1951 and a Ph.D. in 1952.
Sontag was the Robert C. Denison Professor of Philosophy at Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
, where he worked from 1952 to 2009. He had also been chairman of the department (1960–67 and 1976–77) and chairman of the Committee on Honors Study (1961–70). He also served as a visiting professor at a number of institutions (Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
, 1959–60, Collegio di Sant'Anselmo, Rome, 1966–67, University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
, 1972, University of Kyoto, 1974, and East-West Center
East-West Center
The East–West Center , headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific and the United States....
, Honolulu, 1974). He was the theologian-in-residence at American Church in Paris in 1973 and Fulbright Regional American Professor, East Asian and Pacific Area from 1977 to 1978.
His research interests were Existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
, Metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
, Philosophy of Religion
Philosophy of religion
Philosophy of religion is a branch of philosophy concerned with questions regarding religion, including the nature and existence of God, the examination of religious experience, analysis of religious language and texts, and the relationship of religion and science...
, and Philosophical Theology
Philosophical Theology
Philosophical theology is the disciplined employment of philosophical methods in developing or analyzing theological concepts. It therefore includes natural theology as well as philosophical treatments of orthodox and heterodox theology....
. Sontag was a minister in the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
. He was considered an expert on the Unification Church
Unification Church
The Unification Church is a new religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. In 1954, the Unification Church was formally and legally established in Seoul, South Korea, as The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity . In 1994, Moon gave the church...
. In the 1970s he interviewed church founder Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon is the Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church. He is also the founder of many other organizations and projects...
and church members in Europe, America, and Asia while researching for a book published in 1977.
In 2000, Sontag offered to let a troubled student spend the night at his home. But as he drove the student to his dormitory to pick up some clothes, the student became agitated, drew a knife and stabbed Sontag twice. Sontag testified in the student's defense at his trial in which he was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He said about the incident: "My genes lack something, I don't seem to hold grudges...I believe in restoring relationships."
In a 2004 interview with Pomona College Magazine, singer, actor, songwriter, and former Pomona College student Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
mentioned Sontag as an important influence in his life.
Upon his retirement from Pomona College in May 2009, Sontag was awarded the Pomona College Trustees’ Medal of Merit, as "an extraordinarily magnanimous member of this community." He died of congestive heart failure on June 14, 2009. A research fellowship fund, a gate, and a theater are named in his honor.
Works
- American Life (University Press of AmericaUniversity Press of AmericaUniversity Press of America is an academic book publisher based in the United States. Part of the independent Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, it was founded in 1975 and boasts of having published "more than 10,000 academic, scholarly, and biographical titles in many disciplines"...
, 2005) ISBN 9780761834410 - A Kierkegaard Handbook (Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2003) ASIN: B001UVYBRG
- The Mysterious Presence: A Spiritual Odyssey (University Press of America, 2001) ASIN: B002A42GCE
- The Descent of Women (Paragon Press, 1997) ISBN 1557787190
- Truth and Imagination (University Press of America, 1997) ISBN 076180921X
- The Acts of Trinity (University Press of America, 1996) ISBN 0761803637
- Uncertain Truth (University Press of America, 1995) ISBN 081919851X
- Wittgenstein and the Mystical: Philosophy As an Ascetic Practice (An American Academy of Religion Book, 1995) ISBN 1555409938
- Emotion: Its Role in Understanding and Decision (American University Studies Series V, Philosophy) (Peter Lang Pub Inc, 1990) ISBN 0820410691
- The Elements of Philosophy (ScribnerCharles Scribner's SonsCharles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
, 1984) ASIN: B0028WW64G - What can God do? (Abingdon Press, 1979) ISBN 0687446007
- Sun Myung Moon and the Unification ChurchSun Myung Moon and the Unification ChurchSun Myung Moon and the Unification Church is a nonfiction book about the Unification Church and its founder and leader, Sun Myung Moon. It was written by Frederick Sontag, a professor of philosophy at Pomona College and a minister in the United Church of Christ., and published by Abingdon Press in...
(Abingdon PressAbingdon PressAbingdon Press is the book publishing arm of the United Methodist Publishing House which publishes sheet music, ministerial resources, Bible-study aids, and other items, often with a focus on Methodism and Methodists. Abingdon Press was begun in the early 1900s by The Methodist Church, and is...
, 1977; Korean translation, Pacific Publishing Company, 1981; Japanese translation, Tuttle-Mori Agency, Inc., 1977; German translation, SINUS-Verlag, Krefeld, 1981) ISBN 0687406226". - Love Beyond Pain: Mysticism Within Christianity (Paulist Press, 1977)
- God and America's future (McGrath Pub. Co 1977) ISBN 0843406410
- The American Religious Experience: The Roots, Trends and the Future of American Theology, with John Roth Sontag(Harper and Row, 1972) ASIN: B0026958X2
- How Philosophy Shapes Theology: Problems in the Philosophy of Religion (Harper and Row, 1971) ISBN 006046349X
- The Problems of Metaphysics (Chandler, 1970)
- God, Why Did You Do That? (Westminster, 1970)
- The God of Evil: An Argument from the Existence of the Devil (Harper, 1970) ASIN: B000X77PFI
- The Crisis of Faith: A Protestant Witness in Rome (Doubleday, 1969) ASIN: B0020CM7AW
- The Future of Theology: A Philosophical Basis for Contemporary Protestant Theology (Westminster, 1969) ASIN: B000L311VS
- The Existentialist Prolegomena: To a Future Metaphysics (University of Chicago PressUniversity of Chicago PressThe University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals, including Critical Inquiry, and a wide array of...
, 1969) ISBN 0226768198 - Divine Perfection (Harper & Brothers, 1962) ASIN: B001TYXVVQ