Stanley Rosen
Encyclopedia
Stanley Rosen is an American philosopher. Born in Cleveland, Ohio
, he is currently Professor Emeritus at Boston University
. His wide range of research includes metaphysics
, political philosophy
, and history of western philosophy.
at the University of Chicago
, where he defended his dissertation on Spinoza in 1955. He was also a student of Alexandre Kojève
. He did his postdoctoral work at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, and became Evan Pugh Professor of philosophy at Penn State University and then Borden Parker Bowne Professor of Philosophy at Boston University. He has held the Companys Lectureship at the University of Barcelona
, the Cardinal Mercier Lectureship at University of Louvain, the Priestley Lectureship at the University of Toronto
, and the Gilson Lectureship at the Institut Catholique in Paris. He served as President of the Metaphysical Society of America
in 1991.
Rosen's first two books, a study of Plato's Symposium and Nihilism: A Philosophical Essay, represent his abiding concerns. On the one hand he continuously returned to the roots of the philosophical tradition, in particular to Plato, and, on the other, he thought through modern and postmodern philosophy by confronting their most powerful representatives. The most notable feature of this engagement was the justice done to the two main strands of contemporary philosophy, the analytical and continental movements, represented by their most influential members, Heidegger and Wittgenstein, as preparation for Rosen's criticism and positive proposals.
One of the central themes of Rosen's work is the claim that the extraordinary discourses of philosophy have no other basis than the intelligent understanding of the features of ordinary life or human existence. This theme was given an in depth treatment in his recent work, The Elusiveness of the Ordinary.
Rosen has educated several generations of students in philosophy. It is a mark of the non-dogmatic nature of his teaching that several of his students who have since become eminent themselves have adopted a wide variety of philosophical positions and orientations.
Two volumes of his collected essays are forthcoming (April, 2011) at Augustine's Press.
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, he is currently Professor Emeritus at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
. His wide range of research includes 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:...
, 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...
, and history of western philosophy.
Biography
Rosen was a student of Leo StraussLeo Strauss
Leo Strauss was a political philosopher and classicist who specialized in classical political philosophy. He was born in Germany to Jewish parents and later emigrated to the United States...
at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he defended his dissertation on Spinoza in 1955. He was also a student of Alexandre Kojève
Alexandre Kojève
Alexandre Kojève was a Russian-born French philosopher and statesman whose philosophical seminars had an immense influence on twentieth-century French philosophy, particularly via his integration of Hegelian concepts into continental philosophy...
. He did his postdoctoral work at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, and became Evan Pugh Professor of philosophy at Penn State University and then Borden Parker Bowne Professor of Philosophy at Boston University. He has held the Companys Lectureship at the University of Barcelona
University of Barcelona
The University of Barcelona is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. It is a member of the Coimbra Group, LERU, European University Association, Mediterranean Universities Union, International Research Universities Network and Vives Network...
, the Cardinal Mercier Lectureship at University of Louvain, the Priestley Lectureship at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, and the Gilson Lectureship at the Institut Catholique in Paris. He served as President of the Metaphysical Society of America
Metaphysical Society of America
The Metaphysical Society of America is a philosophical organization founded by Paul Weiss in 1950 for promoting the study of metaphysics. The society is a member of the American Council of Learned Societies...
in 1991.
Rosen's first two books, a study of Plato's Symposium and Nihilism: A Philosophical Essay, represent his abiding concerns. On the one hand he continuously returned to the roots of the philosophical tradition, in particular to Plato, and, on the other, he thought through modern and postmodern philosophy by confronting their most powerful representatives. The most notable feature of this engagement was the justice done to the two main strands of contemporary philosophy, the analytical and continental movements, represented by their most influential members, Heidegger and Wittgenstein, as preparation for Rosen's criticism and positive proposals.
One of the central themes of Rosen's work is the claim that the extraordinary discourses of philosophy have no other basis than the intelligent understanding of the features of ordinary life or human existence. This theme was given an in depth treatment in his recent work, The Elusiveness of the Ordinary.
Rosen has educated several generations of students in philosophy. It is a mark of the non-dogmatic nature of his teaching that several of his students who have since become eminent themselves have adopted a wide variety of philosophical positions and orientations.
Two volumes of his collected essays are forthcoming (April, 2011) at Augustine's Press.