William Warren Bartley
Encyclopedia
William Warren Bartley, III, (2 October 1934 – 5 February 1990) was an American philosopher and Professor of Philosophy at Stanford University.
, on 2 October 1934, Bartley was brought up in a Protestant Christian
home. He completed his secondary education in Pittsburgh. He studied at Harvard University
between 1952 and 1956 and graduated with a BA
degree in philosophy. He spent the winter semester of 1956 and the summer semester of 1957 at the Harvard Divinity School
and the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. In 1958, he completed his MA
degree in philosophy at Harvard. Bartley was training to become a Protestant minister, but rejected Christianity at that point. He went on to study at the London School of Economics
under Sir Karl Popper
, where he completed his PhD
in 1962. Parts of his disseration, Limits of Rationality: A Critical Study of Some Logical Problems of Contemporary Pragmatism and Related Movements, were subsequently published as The Retreat to Commitment in the same year.
Bartley and Popper had a great admiration for each other, driven by their common stand against justificationism, a view which Popper fought at the British Academy's Annual Philosophical Lecture in 1960 for the first time. However, at the International Colloquium in the Philosophy of Science at Bedford College, University of London, 11–17 July 1965, they came into a conflict with each other. Bartley had presented a paper 'Theories of demarcation between science and metaphysics' and had attacked Popper in it sharply. He accused Popper of a positivist attitude in his early works and proposed that Popper's demarcation criterion was not as important as Popper thought. Popper took this as a personal attack, and Bartley took his reply as ignorant towards his criticism. Their friendship was not restored until 1974, after the publication of The Philosophy of Karl Popper. Bartley toned down his views on Popper's demarcation, however, as regards content of these views, the differences remained.
After his doctoral graduation, Bartley worked as a lecturer in logic in London. Later, he held positions at the Warburg Institute
and the University of California, San Diego
. He was appointed to his first full professorship in 1969, at the University of Pittsburgh
. In 1973 he joined the California State University, Hayward faculty as a Professor of Philosophy, where he received the distinction of “Outstanding Professor” of the entire California State University System in 1979. His last position was that of a Senior Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution
. Bartley died of bladder
cancer
on 5 February 1990 at his home in Oakland, California, after having been diagnosed with the disease in the middle of the preceding year.
, titled simply Wittgenstein, in 1973. The book contained a relatively brief, 4–5 page treatment of Wittgenstein's homosexuality
, relying mainly on reportage from the philosopher's friends and acquaintances. This matter caused enormous controversy in intellectual and philosophical circles; many perceived it as a posthumous "attack" on Wittgenstein. Some foreign editions of the book, like the Spanish, were printed with the "offending" material excised. In a second edition of the biography, Bartley answered the objections of critics, pointing out that Wittgenstein's period of active homosexuality is verified by the philosopher's own private writings, included his coded diaries; extensive confirmation was also available from people who knew Wittgenstein in the period between the two World Wars in Vienna, including ex-lovers. Bartley also considers, and rejects, the idea of a connection between the private life and the philosophy.
Bartley wrote a biography of Werner Erhard
, the founder of est
. Bartley was graduate of Erhard Seminars Training, from 1972. Werner Erhard refers to Bartley in the book as "My friend Bill". William Bartley served on the advisory board of Est, an educational company
.
Bartley edited Lewis Carroll
's book Symbolic Logic (see symbolic logic), including the second volume, which Carroll had never published.
Bartley is perhaps best known today for his work in extending Popperian epistemology, discussed in his book The Retreat to Commitment. In it, he describes Pancritical rationalism (PCR), a development of critical rationalism
and panrationalism
. PCR attempts to work around the problem of ultimate commitment or infinite regress by decoupling criticism and justification. A pancritical rationalist holds all positions open to criticism, including PCR, and never resorts to authority for justification.
Parts of Popper's Realism and the Aim of Science, a book which Bartley edited, and the Addendum to the fourth edition to The Open Society and its Enemies contain passages that are commonly interpreted as Popper's acceptance of Bartley's views. Mariano Artigas
held that these were in fact written by Bartley himself. Alan Ebenstein, a biographer of F. A. von Hayek
, criticized Bartley for the extent of the changes he made as the editor of The Fatal Conceit
.
At the time of his death, Bartley had just finished his last book, Unfathomed Knowledge, Unmeasured Wealth: On Universities and the Wealth of Nations. Other works he was preparing at that time included writing a biography, and editing the collected works, of Friedrich Hayek
. The latter is still being completed after Bartley's death by his colleagues. Also unfinished is a biography of Karl R. Popper. Both biographies were already in an advanced stage at the time of Bartley's death.
Life
Born in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, on 2 October 1934, Bartley was brought up in a Protestant Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
home. He completed his secondary education in Pittsburgh. He studied at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard 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...
between 1952 and 1956 and graduated with a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A 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...
degree in philosophy. He spent the winter semester of 1956 and the summer semester of 1957 at the Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
and the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. In 1958, he completed his MA
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...
degree in philosophy at Harvard. Bartley was training to become a Protestant minister, but rejected Christianity at that point. He went on to study at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
under Sir Karl Popper
Karl Popper
Sir Karl Raimund Popper, CH FRS FBA was an Austro-British philosopher and a professor at the London School of Economics...
, where he completed his PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1962. Parts of his disseration, Limits of Rationality: A Critical Study of Some Logical Problems of Contemporary Pragmatism and Related Movements, were subsequently published as The Retreat to Commitment in the same year.
Bartley and Popper had a great admiration for each other, driven by their common stand against justificationism, a view which Popper fought at the British Academy's Annual Philosophical Lecture in 1960 for the first time. However, at the International Colloquium in the Philosophy of Science at Bedford College, University of London, 11–17 July 1965, they came into a conflict with each other. Bartley had presented a paper 'Theories of demarcation between science and metaphysics' and had attacked Popper in it sharply. He accused Popper of a positivist attitude in his early works and proposed that Popper's demarcation criterion was not as important as Popper thought. Popper took this as a personal attack, and Bartley took his reply as ignorant towards his criticism. Their friendship was not restored until 1974, after the publication of The Philosophy of Karl Popper. Bartley toned down his views on Popper's demarcation, however, as regards content of these views, the differences remained.
After his doctoral graduation, Bartley worked as a lecturer in logic in London. Later, he held positions at the Warburg Institute
Warburg Institute
The Warburg Institute is a research institution associated with the University of London in central London, England. A member of the School of Advanced Study, its focus is the study of the influence of classical antiquity on all aspects of European civilisation.-History:The Institute was founded by...
and the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
. He was appointed to his first full professorship in 1969, at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. In 1973 he joined the California State University, Hayward faculty as a Professor of Philosophy, where he received the distinction of “Outstanding Professor” of the entire California State University System in 1979. His last position was that of a Senior Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution
Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded in 1919 by then future U.S. president, Herbert Hoover, an early alumnus of Stanford....
. Bartley died of bladder
Urinary bladder
The urinary bladder is the organ that collects urine excreted by the kidneys before disposal by urination. A hollow muscular, and distensible organ, the bladder sits on the pelvic floor...
cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
on 5 February 1990 at his home in Oakland, California, after having been diagnosed with the disease in the middle of the preceding year.
Author and editor
Bartley published a biography of the philosopher Ludwig WittgensteinLudwig Wittgenstein
Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He was professor in philosophy at the University of Cambridge from 1939 until 1947...
, titled simply Wittgenstein, in 1973. The book contained a relatively brief, 4–5 page treatment of Wittgenstein's homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, relying mainly on reportage from the philosopher's friends and acquaintances. This matter caused enormous controversy in intellectual and philosophical circles; many perceived it as a posthumous "attack" on Wittgenstein. Some foreign editions of the book, like the Spanish, were printed with the "offending" material excised. In a second edition of the biography, Bartley answered the objections of critics, pointing out that Wittgenstein's period of active homosexuality is verified by the philosopher's own private writings, included his coded diaries; extensive confirmation was also available from people who knew Wittgenstein in the period between the two World Wars in Vienna, including ex-lovers. Bartley also considers, and rejects, the idea of a connection between the private life and the philosophy.
Bartley wrote a biography of Werner Erhard
Werner Erhard
Werner Hans Erhard is an author of transformational models and applications for individuals, groups, and organizations...
, the founder of est
Erhard Seminars Training
Erhard Seminars Training, an organization founded by Werner H. Erhard, offered a two-weekend course known officially as "The est Standard Training"...
. Bartley was graduate of Erhard Seminars Training, from 1972. Werner Erhard refers to Bartley in the book as "My friend Bill". William Bartley served on the advisory board of Est, an educational company
Erhard Seminars Training
Erhard Seminars Training, an organization founded by Werner H. Erhard, offered a two-weekend course known officially as "The est Standard Training"...
.
Bartley edited Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's book Symbolic Logic (see symbolic logic), including the second volume, which Carroll had never published.
Bartley is perhaps best known today for his work in extending Popperian epistemology, discussed in his book The Retreat to Commitment. In it, he describes Pancritical rationalism (PCR), a development of critical rationalism
Critical rationalism
Critical rationalism is an epistemological philosophy advanced by Karl Popper. Popper wrote about critical rationalism in his works, The Open Society and its Enemies Volume 2, and Conjectures and Refutations.- Criticism, not support :...
and panrationalism
Panrationalism
Panrationalism holds two premises true:# A rationalist accepts any position that can be justified or established by appeal to the rational criteria or authorities.# He accepts only those positions that can be so justified....
. PCR attempts to work around the problem of ultimate commitment or infinite regress by decoupling criticism and justification. A pancritical rationalist holds all positions open to criticism, including PCR, and never resorts to authority for justification.
Parts of Popper's Realism and the Aim of Science, a book which Bartley edited, and the Addendum to the fourth edition to The Open Society and its Enemies contain passages that are commonly interpreted as Popper's acceptance of Bartley's views. Mariano Artigas
Mariano Artigas
Mariano Artigas was a Spanish physicist, philosopher and writer. He received the Templeton Foundation Award in 1995 for his work on science and religion...
held that these were in fact written by Bartley himself. Alan Ebenstein, a biographer of F. A. von Hayek
Friedrich Hayek
Friedrich August Hayek CH , born in Austria-Hungary as Friedrich August von Hayek, was an economist and philosopher best known for his defense of classical liberalism and free-market capitalism against socialist and collectivist thought...
, criticized Bartley for the extent of the changes he made as the editor of The Fatal Conceit
The Fatal Conceit
The Fatal Conceit: The Errors of Socialism is a non-fiction book written by the economist and political philosopher Friedrich Hayek and edited by William Warren Bartley.-Main thesis and arguments:...
.
At the time of his death, Bartley had just finished his last book, Unfathomed Knowledge, Unmeasured Wealth: On Universities and the Wealth of Nations. Other works he was preparing at that time included writing a biography, and editing the collected works, of Friedrich Hayek
Friedrich Hayek
Friedrich August Hayek CH , born in Austria-Hungary as Friedrich August von Hayek, was an economist and philosopher best known for his defense of classical liberalism and free-market capitalism against socialist and collectivist thought...
. The latter is still being completed after Bartley's death by his colleagues. Also unfinished is a biography of Karl R. Popper. Both biographies were already in an advanced stage at the time of Bartley's death.
External links
- KLI Theory Lab — Authors, William Warren Bartley III (1934–1990)
- clublet.com, "Often referred to on Why simply as Bartley."
- about the philosophers, Bill Bartley (1934–1990)
- writings on w.w. bartley
- bio at Review, Unfathomed Knowledge
- Pancritical Rationalism: An Extropic Metacontext for Memetic Progress
- The Bartley Institute