Torgny T:son Segerstedt
Encyclopedia
Torgny Torgnysson Segerstedt (11 August 1908, Mellerud
, Dalsland
– 28 January 1999) was a Swedish philosopher and sociologist. He was the son of the elder Torgny Segerstedt
, scholar of comparative religion and publicist remembered especially for his uncompromising anti-Nazi stance. To distinguish him from his father, when needed, he is often referred to as Torgny T:son Segerstedt (i.e. Torgny T[orgnys]son Segerstedt), or Torgny Segerstedt the younger.
The younger Torgny Segerstedt was born in Mellerud
, Holm parish, Älvsborg County
, but the family was actually living in Lund
at the time, where the elder Torgny Segerstedt taught at the university
. He grew up in Stockholm
and from 1917, when his father became editor of Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning
(GHT), in Gothenburg
.
After completing his secondary education at Göteborgs högre samskola, Segerstedt matriculated at Lund University
in 1927, and, after receiving his Licentiate
in 1931 and some time in Paris
and London
, completed his Ph.D.
in practical philosophy
in 1934. After a few years teaching in Lund, he received the chair of philosophy in Uppsala
in 1938, switched to a new chair in sociology
in 1948, and served as rector magnificus of the university from 1955 to 1978. He was a member of numerous academies and learned societies, including the Swedish Academy
from 1975.
Like his father, he also worked as a publicist, writing for the Lund student newspaper Lundagård
, his father's GHT and briefly holding the position of editor of Morgontidningen in Gothenburg from December 1932 until August the following year.
Segerstedt's dissertation was Value and reality in Bradley’s philosophy and his following studies were also dedicated to the study of English and Scottish philosophy. His direction towards moral philosophy and influences from research in other fields, such as cultural anthropology and sociolinguistics, brought him closer to the field of sociology. When, in 1948, he switched chair to a new one in sociology, he became the first holder of a professorial chair in that discipline at a Swedish university.
As rector of Uppsala University for 23 years, he led it through the most significant period of expansion and reform in its history and presided over its 500th anniversary in 1977. He retired in 1978 and was succeeded as rector by Martin H:son Holmdahl
.
Mellerud
Mellerud is a locality and the seat of Mellerud Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 3,796 inhabitants in 2005.- References :...
, Dalsland
Dalsland
Dalsland is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Götaland in southern Sweden. Lying to the west of Lake Vänern, it is bordered by Värmland to the north, Västergötland to the southeast, Bohuslän to the west, and Norway to the northwest....
– 28 January 1999) was a Swedish philosopher and sociologist. He was the son of the elder Torgny Segerstedt
Torgny Segerstedt
Torgny Karl Segerstedt was a Swedish scholar of comparative religion, later publicist and editor-in-chief of the newspaper Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning from 1917 to 1945...
, scholar of comparative religion and publicist remembered especially for his uncompromising anti-Nazi stance. To distinguish him from his father, when needed, he is often referred to as Torgny T:son Segerstedt (i.e. Torgny T[orgnys]son Segerstedt), or Torgny Segerstedt the younger.
The younger Torgny Segerstedt was born in Mellerud
Mellerud
Mellerud is a locality and the seat of Mellerud Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 3,796 inhabitants in 2005.- References :...
, Holm parish, Älvsborg County
Älvsborg County
Älvsborg County, or Älvsborgs län, was a county of Sweden until December 31, 1998 when it was merged with the counties of Gothenburg and Bohus and Skaraborg to form the county of Västra Götaland...
, but the family was actually living in Lund
Lund
-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
at the time, where the elder Torgny Segerstedt taught at the university
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
. He grew up in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and from 1917, when his father became editor of Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning
Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning
Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning was a daily newspaper published in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 1832 to 1973. It was founded in 1832 by publisher Magnus Prytz and had a liberal alignment from the later part of the 19th century....
(GHT), in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
.
After completing his secondary education at Göteborgs högre samskola, Segerstedt matriculated at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
in 1927, and, after receiving his Licentiate
Licentiate
Licentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a licence. The term may derive from the Latin licentia docendi, meaning permission to teach. The term may also derive from the Latin licentia ad practicandum, which signified someone who held a certificate of competence to...
in 1931 and some time in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, completed his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in practical philosophy
Practical philosophy
The division of philosophy into a practical and a theoretical discipline has its origin in Aristotle's moral philosophy and natural philosophy categories. In Sweden and Finland courses in theoretical and practical philosophy are taught separately, and are separate degrees...
in 1934. After a few years teaching in Lund, he received the chair of philosophy in Uppsala
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
in 1938, switched to a new chair in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
in 1948, and served as rector magnificus of the university from 1955 to 1978. He was a member of numerous academies and learned societies, including the Swedish Academy
Swedish Academy
The Swedish Academy , founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden.-History:The Swedish Academy was founded in 1786 by King Gustav III. Modelled after the Académie française, it has 18 members. The motto of the Academy is "Talent and Taste"...
from 1975.
Like his father, he also worked as a publicist, writing for the Lund student newspaper Lundagård
Lundagård (newspaper)
Lundagård is a student newspaper published by the Lund University Student Union . Lundagård was first published in 1920 and is the oldest student newspaper still in circulation in Sweden...
, his father's GHT and briefly holding the position of editor of Morgontidningen in Gothenburg from December 1932 until August the following year.
Segerstedt's dissertation was Value and reality in Bradley’s philosophy and his following studies were also dedicated to the study of English and Scottish philosophy. His direction towards moral philosophy and influences from research in other fields, such as cultural anthropology and sociolinguistics, brought him closer to the field of sociology. When, in 1948, he switched chair to a new one in sociology, he became the first holder of a professorial chair in that discipline at a Swedish university.
As rector of Uppsala University for 23 years, he led it through the most significant period of expansion and reform in its history and presided over its 500th anniversary in 1977. He retired in 1978 and was succeeded as rector by Martin H:son Holmdahl
Martin H:son Holmdahl
Martin H:son Holmdahl is a Swedish professor emeritus of anesthesiology, who was rector magnificus of Uppsala university between 1978 and 1989.Holmdahl began his medical studies in Uppsala in 1942...
.