James Donald Wallace (May 21, 1937 – July 7, 2019) was an American philosopher. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for 49 years.[1][2]

Biography

Wallace was born in Troy, New York, on May 21, 1937.[1]

He wrote several books on morality and ethics that draw on the American philosophical tradition of pragmatism, in particular the ethical theory of John Dewey.[3] His works include Norms and Practices (2008),[4] Ethical Norms, Particular Cases (1996),[5] Moral Relevance and Moral Conflict (1988),[6] Virtues and Vices (1978),[7] and numerous articles.[8]

Wallace taught a variety of subjects, including value theory, practical reasoning, social and political philosophy, bioethics, ancient Greek philosophy, and philosophy of art.[2]

Wallace was the father of the novelist David Foster Wallace. He was an atheist.[9]

Wallace died on July 7, 2019, in Tempe, Arizona, where he had lived since 2012.[1]

Education

Wallace graduated with a BA from Amherst College in 1959 and a PhD from Cornell University in 1963.[1][10]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d "Obituary: James D. Wallace". The News-Gazette. August 7, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "James D Wallace | Department of Philosophy | University of Illinois". www.philosophy.illinois.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-04-22. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  3. ^ According to Jennifer Welchman, of University of Alberta, in a cover blurb:"Norms and Practices". www.cornellpress.cornell.edu. Archived from the original on 2010-06-18. I have always been an admirer of James D. Wallace's work. His clear accessible prose style is a pleasure to read. And he has long argued forcefully and well that moral philosophers still have much to learn from the pragmatist tradition, in particular from the moral philosophy of John Dewey. In Norms and Practices he shows where and how leading ideas of Deweyan pragmatism interrelate with contemporary debates about the structure and function of ordinary practical reasoning, the role of rules and generalization in moral evaluation, and their relation to virtues and vices of moral character and conduct.
  4. ^ Wallace, James D. (2009). Norms and Practices. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801447198. JSTOR 10.7591/j.ctt7v7hf. OCLC 228372045.
  5. ^ Wallace, James D. (1996). Ethical Norms, Particular Cases. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 0801432138. JSTOR 10.7591/j.ctv1nhprk. OCLC 34283678.
  6. ^ Wallace, James D. (1988). Moral Relevance and Moral Conflict. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801420962. JSTOR 10.7591/j.ctvv4122n. OCLC 17296306.
  7. ^ Wallace, James D. (1978). Virtues and vices. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801411427. OCLC 3631313.
  8. ^ "Works by James D. Wallace". PhilPapers. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  9. ^ Arden, Patrick (July 1999). "David Foster Wallace warms up". Book.
  10. ^ See Wallace's online CV: "Curriculum Vitae". www.phil.uiuc.edu. Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2011-03-30.

External links

Authority control databases
Categories