Allen Phillips Griffiths

Allen Phillips Griffiths
Griffiths in 1971
Born(1927-06-11)11 June 1927
Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales
Died1 December 2014(2014-12-01) (aged 87)
OccupationPhilosopher

Allen Phillips Griffiths (11 June 1927 – 1 December 2014) was a Welsh philosopher and founding Professor of Philosophy of the University of Warwick.

Life

A. Phillips Griffiths (as he was published) or "Griff" (as he was known to colleagues) was born in Llandaff, in Cardiff, Wales on 11 June 1927. He was the son of John Phillips Griffiths (d. 1941) and Elsie Maud née Jones (d. 1975).

After schooling at Whitchurch Cardiff Grammar, in 1943 he began undergraduate studies of History at (the then) University College, Cardiff. His studies were interrupted by national service begun at the end of the war for which he served in the Intelligence Corps and was deployed to the Middle East.

After his military service, he returned to study at Cardiff, graduating with first class honours in 1951. In 1953, under the supervision of H.H. Price, he received a B.Phil. at Oxford. He first taught at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (1955–7), before moving to Birkbeck College (1957–64).

In 1964, Griffiths became founding Professor of Philosophy of the new University of Warwick. At the time, he was the youngest professor of philosophy in the UK. He served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor there from 1970 to 1977, retiring in 1992 as professor emeritus. He served as the Director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy from 1979 to 1994.

He died on 1 December 2014.

He had been a noted enthusiast of snuff.

Select works

Authored papers/chapters

Edited books

Notes

  1. ↑ "one of the few papers on universities that have been published in the field of philosophy ... what Griffiths' thesis amounts to is that what is central to the concept of a university is the pursuit of learning, construed as involving a concern with and for universal objects ... The more peripheral features ... are teaching, education, the pursuit of useful arts, and the provision of a preparation for life"

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Warner, Martin (2006), "Phillips Griffiths, Allen", The Continuum Encyclopedia of British Philosophy, Continuum, doi:10.1093/acref/9780199754694.001.0001/acref-9780199754694-e-1660, retrieved 5 December 2023
  2. ↑ "Griffiths, Prof. Allen Phillips, (11 June 1927–1 Dec. 2014), Professor of Philosophy, University of Warwick, 1964–92, then Emeritus; Director, Royal Institute of Philosophy, 1979–94". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u18228. Retrieved 13 December 2023. Born 11 June 1927; s of John Phillips Griffiths and Elsie Maud (née Jones); m 1st, 1948, Margaret Lock (d 1974); one s one d; 2nd, 1984, Vera Clare (marr. diss. 1990); died 1 Dec. 2014
  3. ↑ "GRIFFITHS, Prof (Allen) Phillips". Debrett's People of Today. London: Debrett's Peerage. 1995. p. 817. ISBN 978-1-870520-24-9 – via Internet Archive.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Miller, David. "In Memoriam: Professor Allen Phillips Griffiths". University of Warwick. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Allen Phillips Griffiths (1927–2014)" (PDF). Philosophy. 90 (2): 361–362. April 2015. doi:10.1017/S0031819115000078. ISSN 0031-8191.
  6. ↑ Griffiths, Prof. A. Phillips. "Snufftaking". Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  7. ↑ Hamlyn, D. W. (1996). "The Concept of a University". Philosophy. 71 (276): 211–212. ISSN 0031-8191.