Mark de Bretton Platts
Encyclopedia
Mark de Bretton Platts is a philosopher at the Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Institute for Philosophical Investigation, National Autonomous University of Mexico). He is well-known for criticizing the Humean theory of motivation, especially in his book Ways of Meaning (1979/1997).
, where he received his B.Phil. in 1972. He has won several prizes for his academic work, such as the Henry Wilde Prize (in 1969) and the John Locke Prize (in 1971) from Oxford University.
Platts was a lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London, for a period in the 1970s and 1980s, where he lectured on philosophical logic and the philosophy of language but also, and with great success, on Descartes and Locke. He was a charismatic figure - eloquent, charming, enthusiastic and lucid. He was also irrepressibly funny. In lecturing on Descartes, for instance, he referred to Descartes' correspondence with Queen Christina of Sweden, and added a mischievous aside : 'Professor X's correspondence with Princess Anne has yet to be published'. Professor X was a distinguished senior colleague. On another occasion Platts fielded a difficult question about a topic, x, with : 'If I had a theory of x it would be a good one'. He was one of a lively group of young lecturers at Birkbeck; other members were Roger Scruton
, Ian McFetridge, and Samuel Guttenplan.
Platts was a strong believer in the tutorial system at Birkbeck. He was enormously generous with his time and gave advice, praise, encouragement and warning, exactly fitted to students' individual needs.
). This issue has generated a large body of research in the late 20th century. For example, Michael Smith discusses Platts's Anti-Humeanism at length in his influential book The Moral Problem (1994), which won the Book Prize of the American Philosophical Association
in 2000.
Platts's book, Ways of Meaning (1979/1997) has been cited by many prominent philosophers, such as Simon Blackburn
, Philip Pettit
, William Lycan
, Christopher Peacocke
, and Ernest Lepore
---to name a few. A prominent philosopher, Peter Ludlow
, writes of Platts's (1979/1997) book:
Life
Platts was born in England in 1947. He studied philosophy at University College, OxfordUniversity College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
, where he received his B.Phil. in 1972. He has won several prizes for his academic work, such as the Henry Wilde Prize (in 1969) and the John Locke Prize (in 1971) from Oxford University.
Platts was a lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London, for a period in the 1970s and 1980s, where he lectured on philosophical logic and the philosophy of language but also, and with great success, on Descartes and Locke. He was a charismatic figure - eloquent, charming, enthusiastic and lucid. He was also irrepressibly funny. In lecturing on Descartes, for instance, he referred to Descartes' correspondence with Queen Christina of Sweden, and added a mischievous aside : 'Professor X's correspondence with Princess Anne has yet to be published'. Professor X was a distinguished senior colleague. On another occasion Platts fielded a difficult question about a topic, x, with : 'If I had a theory of x it would be a good one'. He was one of a lively group of young lecturers at Birkbeck; other members were Roger Scruton
Roger Scruton
Roger Vernon Scruton is a conservative English philosopher and writer. He is the author of over 30 books, including Art and Imagination , Sexual Desire , The Aesthetics of Music , and A Political Philosophy: Arguments For Conservatism...
, Ian McFetridge, and Samuel Guttenplan.
Platts was a strong believer in the tutorial system at Birkbeck. He was enormously generous with his time and gave advice, praise, encouragement and warning, exactly fitted to students' individual needs.
Work
At least some of Platts's work has been highly influential. He is at least well-known for his criticisms of the Humean theory of motivation and is considered an "Anti-Humean" (along with philosophers like John McDowellJohn McDowell
John Henry McDowell is a South African philosopher, formerly a fellow of University College, Oxford and now University Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Although he has written extensively on metaphysics, epistemology, ancient philosophy, and meta-ethics, McDowell's most influential work...
). This issue has generated a large body of research in the late 20th century. For example, Michael Smith discusses Platts's Anti-Humeanism at length in his influential book The Moral Problem (1994), which won the Book Prize of the American Philosophical Association
American Philosophical Association
The American Philosophical Association is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarly activity in philosophy, to facilitate the professional work...
in 2000.
Platts's book, Ways of Meaning (1979/1997) has been cited by many prominent philosophers, such as Simon Blackburn
Simon Blackburn
Simon Blackburn is a British academic philosopher known for his work in quasi-realism and his efforts to popularise philosophy. He recently retired as professor of philosophy at the University of Cambridge, but remains a distinguished research professor of philosophy at the University of North...
, Philip Pettit
Philip Pettit
Philip Noel Pettit is an Irish philosopher and political theorist. He is Laurence Rockefeller University Professor of Politics and Human Values at Princeton University...
, William Lycan
William Lycan
William G. Lycan is a noted American philosopher teaching at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,where he is the William Rand Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor. He won the Class of 2001 Outstanding Faculty Award and a Distinguished Teaching Award for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction in...
, Christopher Peacocke
Christopher Peacocke
Christopher Arthur Bruce Peacocke is a philosopher especially known for his work in philosophy of mind and epistemology...
, and Ernest Lepore
Ernest Lepore
Ernest Lepore is an American philosopher and cognitive scientist. He is currently Acting Director of the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science, and a professor at Rutgers University...
---to name a few. A prominent philosopher, Peter Ludlow
Peter Ludlow
Peter Ludlow , who also writes under the name Urizenus Sklar, is a professor of philosophy at Northwestern University. Before moving to Northwestern, Ludlow taught at University of Toronto, the University of Michigan, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook...
, writes of Platts's (1979/1997) book:
This is the book that turned on a generation of philosophers of language—turned them on to the Davidsonian program, that is ... More than that, he surveyed a number of natural language constructions, showing how they could be handled in such a framework, and thereby mapping out the landscape of what has since become a full-blown philosophical research program.
Books
- Ways of Meaning: An Introduction to a Philosophy of Language (1979), First Edition, Routledge and Kegan Paul.
- (editor) Reference, Truth, and Reality: Essays on the Philosophy of Language (1980), Routledge and Kegan Paul. (ISBN 0710004060, 9780710004062)
- Moral Realities: An Essay in Philosophical Psychology (1991), Routledge. (ISBN 0415058929, 9780415058926)
- Ways of Meaning: An Introduction to a Philosophy of Language (1997), Second Edition, MIT Press. (ISBN 0262661071, 9780262661072)
External links
- Platts's Home Page - National Autonomous University of Mexico.
- Platts's Home Page - translated into English by Google.
- Moral Motivation - an article by Connie Rosati in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy that discusses Platts and other Anti-Humeans.