Nicholas Wolterstorff
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Wolterstorff is an American philosopher and currently the Noah Porter Emeritus Professor of Philosophical Theology at Yale
University. A prolific writer with wide-ranging philosophical and theological interests, he has written books on aesthetics
, epistemology, political philosophy
, philosophy of religion
, metaphysics
, and philosophy of education
. In Faith and Rationality, Wolterstorff, Alvin Plantinga
, and William Alston
developed and expanded upon a view of religious epistemology
that has come to be known as reformed epistemology
. He also helped to establish the journal Faith and Philosophy
and the Society of Christian Philosophers
.
University Positions:
Visiting Professorships:
philosophy (these have also influenced the thinking of Wolterstorff's friend and colleague Alvin Plantinga
, another alumnus of Calvin College).
Wolterstorff builds upon the ideas of the Scottish common sense philosopher Thomas Reid
, who approached knowledge "from the bottom-up". Instead of reasoning about transcendental
conditions of knowledge, Wolterstorff suggests that knowledge and our knowing faculties are not the subject of our research but have to be seen as its starting point. Wolterstorff rejects classical foundationalism
and instead sees knowledge as based upon insights in reality which are direct and indubitable.
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
University. A prolific writer with wide-ranging philosophical and theological interests, he has written books on aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
, epistemology, political philosophy
Political philosophy
Political philosophy is the study of such topics as liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what, if anything, makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it...
, 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...
, 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:...
, and philosophy of education
Philosophy of education
Philosophy of education can refer to either the academic field of applied philosophy or to one of any educational philosophies that promote a specific type or vision of education, and/or which examine the definition, goals and meaning of education....
. In Faith and Rationality, Wolterstorff, Alvin Plantinga
Alvin Plantinga
Alvin Carl Plantinga is an American analytic philosopher and the emeritus John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He is known for his work in philosophy of religion, epistemology, metaphysics, and Christian apologetics...
, and William Alston
William Alston
William Payne Alston was an American philosopher. He made influential contributions to the philosophy of language, epistemology and Christian philosophy. He earned his Ph.D...
developed and expanded upon a view of religious epistemology
Religious epistemology
Religious epistemology is a broad label for any approach to epistemological questions from a religious perspective, or attempts to understand the epistemological issues that come from religious belief...
that has come to be known as reformed epistemology
Reformed epistemology
In the philosophy of religion, reformed epistemology is a school of thought regarding the epistemology of belief in God put forward by a group of Protestant Christian philosophers, most notably, Alvin Plantinga, William Alston, Nicholas Wolterstorff and Michael C. Rea...
. He also helped to establish the journal Faith and Philosophy
Faith and Philosophy
Faith and Philosophy is a peer-reviewed academic journal sponsored by the Society for Christian Philosophers. Since 1984 it has published over 1,200 articles and reviews focused on the philosophical examination of religion and Christian faith. The journal is edited by Thomas Flint, and receives...
and the Society of Christian Philosophers
Society of Christian Philosophers
The Society of Christian Philosophers is a society associated with the American Philosophical Association. The society was founded in 1978. Past Presidents include William Alston, Robert Merrihew Adams, Alvin Plantinga, Marilyn McCord Adams, George I. Mavrodes, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Eleonore...
.
Education and academic career
Degrees:- Calvin CollegeCalvin CollegeCalvin College is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1876, Calvin College is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reformed tradition of Protestantism...
, Grand Rapids, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
BABachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in philosophy 1953 - Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard 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...
, M.A.Master of Arts (postgraduate)A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
and PhDPHDPHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in philosophy 1956 - Vrije UniversiteitVrije UniversiteitThe Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch name is often abbreviated as VU and in English the university uses the name "VU University". The university is located on a compact urban campus in the southern part of Amsterdam in the Buitenveldert district...
, Honorary Doctorate in philosophy 2007
University Positions:
- Professor of Philosophy, Calvin CollegeCalvin CollegeCalvin College is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1876, Calvin College is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reformed tradition of Protestantism...
(1959-1989) - Noah PorterNoah PorterNoah Porter, Jr. was an American academic, philosopher, author, lexicographer and President of Yale College .-Biography:...
ProfessorProfessorA professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Philosophical TheologyTheologyTheology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale 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...
(1989–2001) and, concurrently, Adjunct Professor in the Philosophy Department and the Religious Studies Department
Visiting Professorships:
- Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard 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...
, Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Yale University, Oxford University, University of Notre DameUniversity of Notre DameThe University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, University of Texas, University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, Temple UniversityTemple UniversityTemple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
, the Free University of Amsterdam (Vrije UniversiteitVrije UniversiteitThe Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch name is often abbreviated as VU and in English the university uses the name "VU University". The university is located on a compact urban campus in the southern part of Amsterdam in the Buitenveldert district...
), and the University of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
.
Professional distinctions
- Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, 1953
- Harvard Foundation Fellowship, 1954
- Josiah Royce Memorial Fellowship, Harvard University, 1954
- Fulbright Scholarship, 1957
- President of the American Philosophical Association (Central Division)
- President of the Society of Christian Philosophers
- Senior Fellow, Institute for Advanced Study in Culture, University of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, 2005
Endowed lectureships
- * Kuyper Lectures, Free University of Amsterdam, 1981
- Wilde Lectures, Oxford University, 1993
- Gifford LecturesGifford LecturesThe Gifford Lectures were established by the will of Adam Lord Gifford . They were established to "promote and diffuse the study of Natural Theology in the widest sense of the term — in other words, the knowledge of God." The term natural theology as used by Gifford means theology supported...
, St Andrews University, 1995 - Tate-Willson Lectures, Southern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
, 1991 - Stone Lectures, Princeton Theological SeminaryPrinceton Theological SeminaryPrinceton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
, 1998 - Lectures at Southern Seminary, Lecture #2, Lecture #3, The Southern Baptist Theological SeminarySouthern Baptist Theological SeminaryThe Southern Baptist Theological Seminary , located in Louisville, Kentucky, is the oldest of the six seminaries affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention . The seminary was founded in 1859, at Greenville, South Carolina. After being closed during the Civil War, it moved in 1877 to Louisville...
, 2000 - Taylor Lectures, Yale University, 2001
- Laing Lectures, Regent CollegeRegent CollegeRegent College is an international graduate school of Christian Studies, located next to the campus of the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands west of Vancouver, British Columbia, and is an affiliated college of that university....
, 2007
Thought
While an undergraduate at Calvin College, Wolterstorff was greatly influenced by professors Harry Jellema, Henry Stob and Henry Zylstra, who introduced him to schools of thought that have dominated his mature thinking: Reformed theology and common senseCommon sense
Common sense is defined by Merriam-Webster as, "sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts." Thus, "common sense" equates to the knowledge and experience which most people already have, or which the person using the term believes that they do or should have...
philosophy (these have also influenced the thinking of Wolterstorff's friend and colleague Alvin Plantinga
Alvin Plantinga
Alvin Carl Plantinga is an American analytic philosopher and the emeritus John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He is known for his work in philosophy of religion, epistemology, metaphysics, and Christian apologetics...
, another alumnus of Calvin College).
Wolterstorff builds upon the ideas of the Scottish common sense philosopher Thomas Reid
Thomas Reid
The Reverend Thomas Reid FRSE , was a religiously trained Scottish philosopher, and a contemporary of David Hume, was the founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense, and played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment...
, who approached knowledge "from the bottom-up". Instead of reasoning about transcendental
Transcendence (philosophy)
In philosophy, the adjective transcendental and the noun transcendence convey the basic ground concept from the word's literal meaning , of climbing or going beyond, albeit with varying connotations in its different historical and cultural stages...
conditions of knowledge, Wolterstorff suggests that knowledge and our knowing faculties are not the subject of our research but have to be seen as its starting point. Wolterstorff rejects classical foundationalism
Foundationalism
Foundationalism is any theory in epistemology that holds that beliefs are justified based on what are called basic beliefs . This position is intended to resolve the infinite regress problem in epistemology...
and instead sees knowledge as based upon insights in reality which are direct and indubitable.
Selected Writings
- On Universals: An Essay in Ontology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1970.
- Reason within the Bounds of Religion. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1976. 2nd ed. 1984
- Works and Worlds of Art. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1980.
- Art in Action: Toward a Christian Aesthetic. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1980. 2nd ed. 1995
- Educating for Responsible Action. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1980.
- Until Justice and Peace Embrace. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. 1983. 2nd ed. 1994.
- Faith and Rationality: Reason and Belief in God (ed. with Alvin Plantinga). Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press. 1984.
- Lament for a Son. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1987.
- "Suffering Love" in Philosophy and the Christian Faith (ed.Thomas V. Morris). Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press. 1988.
- Divine Discourse: Philosophical Reflections on the Claim That God Speaks. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1995.
- John Locke and the Ethics of Belief. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1996.
- Religion in the Public Square (with Robert AudiRobert AudiRobert Audi is an American philosopher whose major work has focused on epistemology, ethics—especially on ethical intuitionism-and the theory of action. He is O'Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, and previously held a Chair in the Business School there...
). Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. 1997. - Thomas Reid and the Story of Epistemology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2001.
- Educating for Life: Reflections on Christian Teaching and Learning. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. 2002.
- "An Engagement with Rorty" in The Journal of Religious Ethics, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Spring, 2003), pp. 129-139.
- Educating for Shalom: Essays on Christian Higher Education. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2004.
- Justice: Rights and Wrongs. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 2008.
- Inquiring about God: Selected Essays, Volume I (ed. Terence Cuneo). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2009.
- Practices of Belief: Selected Essays, Volume II (ed. Terence Cuneo). Cambridge: Cambdridge University Press. 2009.
- Justice in Love. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2011.
Secondary
- Sloane, Andrew, On Being A Christian in the Academy: Nicholas Wolterstorff and the Practice of Christian Scholarship, Paternoster, Carlisle UK, 2003.
See also
- American philosophyAmerican philosophyAmerican philosophy is the philosophical activity or output of Americans, both within the United States and abroad. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy notes that while American philosophy lacks a "core of defining features, American Philosophy can nevertheless be seen as both reflecting and...
- Christian philosophyChristian philosophyChristian philosophy may refer to any development in philosophy that is characterised by coming from a Christian tradition.- Origins of Christian philosophy :...
- List of American philosophers
External links
- Faculty page at Yale
- Interview from The Christian CenturyThe Christian CenturyThe Christian Century is a Christian magazine based in Chicago, Illinois. Considered the flagship magazine of U.S. mainline Protestantism, the biweekly reports on religious news; comments on theological, moral, and cultural issues; and reviews books, movies, and music...
. - "The Irony of It All" in The Hedgehog ReviewThe Hedgehog ReviewThe Hedgehog Review is an interdisciplinary academic journal published triannually by the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia....
vol. 9, no. 3 (Fall 2007). Article discussing human dignity and justice. - Lecture at Calvin College on "How Calvin Fathered a Renaissance in Christian Philosophy".
- Wolterstorff's Spiritual Autobiography from Clark, Kelly James, Philosophers Who Believe (Intervarsity Press, 1993).
- Theology and Ethics Contains many PDF files of Wolterstorff's work not available elsewhere.
- Art in Action: New Thoughts Lecture at the 2009 International Arts Movement.
- Lectures by Wolterstorff from the C.S. Lewis Institute.
- Faith and Philosophy
- Society of Christian Philosophers