Margaret Knight (psychologist)
Encyclopedia
Margaret Kennedy Knight, (23 November 1903 – 10 May 1983), was a psychologist and humanist
. Born in Hertfordshire
, England
, Knight went to Girton College, Cambridge University
, graduating in 1926. In 1948 she gained a Master's degree.
It was in her third year at Cambridge that she found the "moral courage", as she put it, to finally abandon the religious beliefs she had long been uneasy with. In the preface to her book Morals Without Religion (1955), she wrote, "a fresh, cleansing wind swept through the stuffy room that contained the relics of my religious beliefs. I let them go with a profound sense of relief, and ever since I have lived happily without them."
Between 1926 and 1936 Margaret worked as a librarian, information officer and editor for journal published by the National Institute of Industrial Psychology. She married her husband Arthur Rex Knight
in 1936, then in 1938 she started working alongside him as an assistant lecturer in psychology
at the University of Aberdeen
, Scotland
. Ten years later in 1948 she was promoted to lecturer in psychology, a post she held till her retirement in 1970.
In collaboration with her husband, Knight wrote A Modern Introduction to Psychology (1948), which went through many editions.
An advocate of Scientific Humanism, Knight gave two short radio talks on the BBC
Home Service
in 1955 under the title Morals Without Religion. The first talk was broadcast on 5 January and caused a storm of controversy. The Sunday Graphic headline described her as "The Unholy Mrs. Knight", and called her "a menace".
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
. Born in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Knight went to Girton College, Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, graduating in 1926. In 1948 she gained a Master's degree.
It was in her third year at Cambridge that she found the "moral courage", as she put it, to finally abandon the religious beliefs she had long been uneasy with. In the preface to her book Morals Without Religion (1955), she wrote, "a fresh, cleansing wind swept through the stuffy room that contained the relics of my religious beliefs. I let them go with a profound sense of relief, and ever since I have lived happily without them."
Between 1926 and 1936 Margaret worked as a librarian, information officer and editor for journal published by the National Institute of Industrial Psychology. She married her husband Arthur Rex Knight
Arthur Rex Knight
Arthur Rex Knight, was born in Wilcannia, New South Wales in Australia. He later came to Britain and became a psychologist. In 1929 he succeeded James L McIntyre as Anderson Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Aberdeen. On the establishment of a Chair in the subject, in 1947, Knight became...
in 1936, then in 1938 she started working alongside him as an assistant lecturer in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Ten years later in 1948 she was promoted to lecturer in psychology, a post she held till her retirement in 1970.
In collaboration with her husband, Knight wrote A Modern Introduction to Psychology (1948), which went through many editions.
An advocate of Scientific Humanism, Knight gave two short radio talks on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Home Service
BBC Home Service
The BBC Home Service was a British national radio station which broadcast from 1939 until 1967.-Development:Between the 1920s and the outbreak of The Second World War, the BBC had developed two nationwide radio services, the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme...
in 1955 under the title Morals Without Religion. The first talk was broadcast on 5 January and caused a storm of controversy. The Sunday Graphic headline described her as "The Unholy Mrs. Knight", and called her "a menace".
External links
- Margaret Knight on the BBC Home Service, 1955
- http://www.secularism.org.uk/uploads/moralswithoutreligion.pdf"Morals Without Religion", reprinted from The FreethinkerThe Freethinker (journal)The Freethinker is a British secular humanist magazine, founded by G.W. Foote in 1881. It is the world's oldest surviving freethought publication.It has always taken an unapologetically atheist, anti-religious stance...
] - "Christianity: the debit account", first published 1975, reprinted 1992.
Publications
- Honest to Man: Christian ethics reexamined (1974). London: Elek/Pemberton. ISBN 0-236-31002-X
- Humanist Anthology: from ConfuciusConfuciusConfucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
to Bertrand RussellBertrand RussellBertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
(1961). London: Barrie and Rockliff. (Editor) - Morals without religion : and other essays (1955). London: Dobson. (Includes the text of the two BBC talks)
- William James; A Selection From His Writings On Psychology (1950) Middlesex: Penguin/Pelican. (Editor)
- A Modern Introduction to Psychology (with Rex Knight) (1st edition, 1948). London: University Tutorial Press.