Charles Norris Cochrane
Encyclopedia
Charles Norris Cochrane was a Canadian
historian
and philosopher who taught at the University of Toronto
.
He was educated at the University of Toronto and also at the University of Oxford
, where he was taught and influenced by R.G. Collingwood.
His Thucydides
and the Science of History appeared in 1929, and his best-known work, Christianity
and Classical Culture
, in 1940. The latter work was greatly admired by W.H. Auden, and it was in addition described by Harold Innis
as "the first major Canadian contribution to the intellectual history
of the West
".
The Hegelian philosopher James Doull
was among his students. Doull's friend George Grant
was also a very great admirer of Cochrane.
Arthur Kroker
remarks that "Charles Norris Cochrane...is the one thinker who understood deeply and well the generative origins of Christianity as a response to a larger cultural crisis that secular thought, whether Roman or Greek, could not solve for itself. At the same time, Cochrane understood in full detail the coming crisis of Christianity and nihilism
".
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and philosopher who taught 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...
.
He was educated at the University of Toronto and also at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, where he was taught and influenced by R.G. Collingwood.
His Thucydides
Thucydides
Thucydides was a Greek historian and author from Alimos. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC...
and the Science of History appeared in 1929, and his best-known work, Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and Classical Culture
Romanitas
Romanità also termed Romanitas in English referring to "Roman-ness" or the Roman ideal the refers to an immiscibly Latin culture of the Roman Empire. Cicero contributed much to the notion....
, in 1940. The latter work was greatly admired by W.H. Auden, and it was in addition described by Harold Innis
Harold Innis
Harold Adams Innis was a Canadian professor of political economy at the University of Toronto and the author of seminal works on media, communication theory and Canadian economic history. The affiliated Innis College at the University of Toronto is named for him...
as "the first major Canadian contribution to the intellectual history
Intellectual history
Note: this article concerns the discipline of intellectual history, and not its object, the whole span of human thought since the invention of writing. For clarifications about the latter topic, please consult the writings of the intellectual historians listed here and entries on individual...
of the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
".
The Hegelian philosopher James Doull
James Doull
James Alexander Doull was a Canadian philosopher and academic who was born and lived most of his life in Nova Scotia. His father was the politician, jurist, and historian John Doull. From the late 1940s until the mid 1980s he taught in the Department of Classics at Dalhousie University in Halifax...
was among his students. Doull's friend George Grant
George Grant (philosopher)
George Parkin Grant, OC, FRSC was a Canadian philosopher, teacher and political commentator, whose popular appeal peaked in the late 1960s and 1970s. He is best known for his nationalism, political conservatism, and his views on technology, pacifism, Christian faith, and abortion...
was also a very great admirer of Cochrane.
Arthur Kroker
Arthur Kroker
Arthur Kroker is a Canadian author, editor, educator and researcher of political science, technology and culture.-Life and career:He earned a Ph.D. in political science from McMaster University in 1975...
remarks that "Charles Norris Cochrane...is the one thinker who understood deeply and well the generative origins of Christianity as a response to a larger cultural crisis that secular thought, whether Roman or Greek, could not solve for itself. At the same time, Cochrane understood in full detail the coming crisis of Christianity and nihilism
Nihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
".