Walter Terence Stace
Encyclopedia
Walter Terence Stace (Walter T. Stace) was a British
civil servant, educator, philosopher and epistemologist, who wrote on Hegel, Mysticism
, and Moral relativism
. He worked with the Ceylon Civil Service
from 1910 and 1932, thereafter he worked at Princeton University
till his retirement in 1955, as professor of philosophy, and subsequently remained professor emeritus of Philosophy. He is most known for his work in philosophy of mysticism, and books like Mysticism and Philosophy (1960) and Teachings of the Mystics
(1960).
, but chose a religious and philosophical path. He was educated at Fettes College
, Edinburgh
and later Trinity College Dublin, with an aim to a career in the Anglican Church, having experienced a religious conversion
in his teens, but here he developed interest in systematic philosophy
of Hegel, deeply influenced by Henry S. Macran, and graduated in philosophy in 1908.
, and between 1910 and 1932, he served in the Ceylon Civil Service
(now Sri Lanka
) then under British Empire
, holding several positions in the Ceylonese government including that of Mayor of Colombo
, the capital city. Even today, there is Stace Street in Colombo. It was here that he developed an interest in Hinduism and Buddhism, a subject which was to influence is subsequent studies of mysticism. Meanwhile he wrote on philosophy on the side and published books like A Critical History of Greek Philosophy (1920), The Philosophy of Hegel (1924), and The Meaning of Beauty (1929). In 1929, he received a D.Litt. from Trinity College, Dublin.
After 22 years of service, he was offered an option of retirement from civil services in 1932, which he took and moved to Princeton University
in 1932 and became Stuart Professor of Philosophy at the university in 1935, he was president of the American Philosophical Association
in 1949 and 1950. Stace retired from his position as professor of philosophy at Princeton in 1955.
He died on August 2, 1967, of a heart attack at his home in Laguna Beach, California
.
, G.E. Moore, Bertrand Russell
and H.H. Price. Empiricism for Stace did not need to be confined to propositions which it is possible to demonstrate. Instead, our common sense beliefs find support in two empirical facts: men’s minds are similar and they cooperate with the aim of solving their common problems.
Stace can be considered a pioneer in the philosophical study of mysticism, Mysticism and Philosophy is considered his major work. Stace was the dissertation advisor of John Rawls
when Rawls was a graduate student at Princeton, though it is not clear that he had a strong influence on Rawls.
Richard Marius
attributed his loss of faith partly to his intellectual engagement with Stace's essay Man Against Darkness.
, a form of radical empiricism (not to be confused with phenomenology, which examines the structure and content of consciousness). In his first book published while at Princeton, The Theory of Knowledge and Existence (1932), Stace proposes an empirical epistemology. He attempts to “trace out the logical steps by which the mind, starting with what is given, arrives at and justifies its belief in an external world.” The book can be seen as a criticism of pragmatism. His paper Refutation of Realism (1934) acted as a response to G.E. Moore’s famous refutation of idealism. Stace did not argue that realism is false, but that “there is absolutely no reason for asserting” it is true, so it “ought not be believed”. Turning from epistemology to ethics, in 1937 he considered whether morals were relative or subject to a general law in The Concept of Morals.
presumption of an ultimate ‘final cause’. Concern with divine purpose of events had been replaced by investigation into what had caused them; the new imaginative picture of the world was dominated by the idea that life is purposeless and meaningless. The effects of this change included moral relativity, the individualisation of morality, and the loss of belief in free will. However, for Stace, neither religion nor science could remedy the situation, only facing up to the truth will do – ‘this means learning to live virtuously and happily, or at least contentedly, without illusions.’
In the spring of 1949, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
hosted a forum called "The Social Implications of Scientific Progress—an Appraisal at Mid-Century." Winston Churchill
, Harry S. Truman
, Vannevar Bush
, Nelson Rockefeller
were amongst those in attendance. Stace took part in a discussion called 'Science, Materialism and the Human Spirit' alongside Julius Seelye Bixler, Percy W. Bridgman and Jacques Maritain
. He contributed an essay, The Need for a Secular Ethic, in which he concluded that although supernatural or metaphysical justifications for morality are in decline, this should not lead to a crisis of the moral faith if it is remembered that 'morals have a perfectly firm and objective foundation in the human personality'. In 1954, he gave the annual
Howison Lecture in Philosophy
at University of California, Berkeley
, where he spoke on "Mysticism and Human Reason".
In the fall of 1957, two years after retiring from his post at Princeton, Stace was involved in a controversy surrounding the Princeton Roman Catholic chaplain Dr. Hugh Halton. The chaplain criticised the university's 'abusive liberalism' and Stace was the first of those singled out for censure. Halton stated that 'Stace is enthroning the devil' and that he was 'professionally incompetent', while his philosophy was described as a 'metaphysical mambo'. The Princeton president Dr. Robert F. Goheen
stripped Dr. Halton of his title, an action which was supported by Jacques Maritain, the noted Roman Catholic philosopher and theologian and former Princeton professor.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
civil servant, educator, philosopher and epistemologist, who wrote on Hegel, Mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
, and Moral relativism
Moral relativism
Moral relativism may be any of several descriptive, meta-ethical, or normative positions. Each of them is concerned with the differences in moral judgments across different people and cultures:...
. He worked with the Ceylon Civil Service
Ceylon Civil Service
The Ceylon Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym CCS, originated as the elite civil service of the Government of Ceylon under British colonial rule in 1833 and carried on after independence, until May 1, 1963 when it was abolished and the much larger Ceylon Administrative Service was...
from 1910 and 1932, thereafter he worked at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
till his retirement in 1955, as professor of philosophy, and subsequently remained professor emeritus of Philosophy. He is most known for his work in philosophy of mysticism, and books like Mysticism and Philosophy (1960) and Teachings of the Mystics
The Teachings of the Mystics
The Teachings of the Mystics is a 1960 work of popular philosophy by the Princeton philosopher W T Stace that lays out his philosophy of mysticism and compiles writings on mystical experience from across religious traditions. The book’s comprehensive selections met with broadly positive...
(1960).
Early life and education
Stace was born into an English military family in London, with his great-grandfather General William Stace having served in the Battle of WaterlooBattle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, but chose a religious and philosophical path. He was educated at Fettes College
Fettes College
Fettes College is an independent school for boarding and day pupils in Edinburgh, Scotland with over two thirds of its pupils in residence on campus...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and later Trinity College Dublin, with an aim to a career in the Anglican Church, having experienced a religious conversion
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
in his teens, but here he developed interest in systematic philosophy
Systematic philosophy
Systematic philosophy is a generic term that applies to philosophical methods and approaches that attempt to provide a framework in reason that can explain all questions and problems related to human life. Examples of systematic philosophers include Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Spinoza, Hegel, and...
of Hegel, deeply influenced by Henry S. Macran, and graduated in philosophy in 1908.
Career
Under family pressure he joined the British civil serviceBritish Civil Service
Her Majesty's Home Civil Service, also known as the Home Civil Service, is the permanent bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports Her Majesty's Government - the government of the United Kingdom, composed of a Cabinet of ministers chosen by the prime minister, as well as the devolved...
, and between 1910 and 1932, he served in the Ceylon Civil Service
Ceylon Civil Service
The Ceylon Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym CCS, originated as the elite civil service of the Government of Ceylon under British colonial rule in 1833 and carried on after independence, until May 1, 1963 when it was abolished and the much larger Ceylon Administrative Service was...
(now Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
) then under British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, holding several positions in the Ceylonese government including that of Mayor of Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, the capital city. Even today, there is Stace Street in Colombo. It was here that he developed an interest in Hinduism and Buddhism, a subject which was to influence is subsequent studies of mysticism. Meanwhile he wrote on philosophy on the side and published books like A Critical History of Greek Philosophy (1920), The Philosophy of Hegel (1924), and The Meaning of Beauty (1929). In 1929, he received a D.Litt. from Trinity College, Dublin.
After 22 years of service, he was offered an option of retirement from civil services in 1932, which he took and moved to Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1932 and became Stuart Professor of Philosophy at the university in 1935, he was president of the American Philosophical Association
American Philosophical Association
The American Philosophical Association is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarly activity in philosophy, to facilitate the professional work...
in 1949 and 1950. Stace retired from his position as professor of philosophy at Princeton in 1955.
He died on August 2, 1967, of a heart attack at his home in Laguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach is a seaside resort city and artist community located in southern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southwest of the county seat of Santa Ana...
.
Philosophy
Stace’s first three books, A Critical History of Greek Philosophy and The Philosophy of Hegel, and The Meaning of Beauty were published in 1920, 1924 and 1929, while he worked as a civil servant in Ceylon. After these early works, his philosophy followed the British empirical tradition of David HumeDavid Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
, G.E. Moore, Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
and H.H. Price. Empiricism for Stace did not need to be confined to propositions which it is possible to demonstrate. Instead, our common sense beliefs find support in two empirical facts: men’s minds are similar and they cooperate with the aim of solving their common problems.
Stace can be considered a pioneer in the philosophical study of mysticism, Mysticism and Philosophy is considered his major work. Stace was the dissertation advisor of John Rawls
John Rawls
John Bordley Rawls was an American philosopher and a leading figure in moral and political philosophy. He held the James Bryant Conant University Professorship at Harvard University....
when Rawls was a graduate student at Princeton, though it is not clear that he had a strong influence on Rawls.
Richard Marius
Richard Marius
Richard Curry Marius was an American academic and writer.He was a scholar of the Reformation, novelist of the American South, speechwriter, and teacher of writing and English literature at Harvard University...
attributed his loss of faith partly to his intellectual engagement with Stace's essay Man Against Darkness.
Phenomenalist philosophy
His work in the 1930s and 40s bears a strong influence of phenomenalismPhenomenalism
Phenomenalism is the view that physical objects do not exist as things in themselves but only as perceptual phenomena or sensory stimuli situated in time and in space...
, a form of radical empiricism (not to be confused with phenomenology, which examines the structure and content of consciousness). In his first book published while at Princeton, The Theory of Knowledge and Existence (1932), Stace proposes an empirical epistemology. He attempts to “trace out the logical steps by which the mind, starting with what is given, arrives at and justifies its belief in an external world.” The book can be seen as a criticism of pragmatism. His paper Refutation of Realism (1934) acted as a response to G.E. Moore’s famous refutation of idealism. Stace did not argue that realism is false, but that “there is absolutely no reason for asserting” it is true, so it “ought not be believed”. Turning from epistemology to ethics, in 1937 he considered whether morals were relative or subject to a general law in The Concept of Morals.
The public philosopher
In 1948, Stace wrote an influential essay, Man Against Darkness, for The Atlantic review in which he examined religion. He concluded that the spirit of scientific enquiry (rather than scientific discoveries themselves) has furthered religious scepticism by undermining the teleologicalTeleology
A teleology is any philosophical account which holds that final causes exist in nature, meaning that design and purpose analogous to that found in human actions are inherent also in the rest of nature. The word comes from the Greek τέλος, telos; root: τελε-, "end, purpose...
presumption of an ultimate ‘final cause’. Concern with divine purpose of events had been replaced by investigation into what had caused them; the new imaginative picture of the world was dominated by the idea that life is purposeless and meaningless. The effects of this change included moral relativity, the individualisation of morality, and the loss of belief in free will. However, for Stace, neither religion nor science could remedy the situation, only facing up to the truth will do – ‘this means learning to live virtuously and happily, or at least contentedly, without illusions.’
In the spring of 1949, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
hosted a forum called "The Social Implications of Scientific Progress—an Appraisal at Mid-Century." Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
, Vannevar Bush
Vannevar Bush
Vannevar Bush was an American engineer and science administrator known for his work on analog computing, his political role in the development of the atomic bomb as a primary organizer of the Manhattan Project, the founding of Raytheon, and the idea of the memex, an adjustable microfilm viewer...
, Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
were amongst those in attendance. Stace took part in a discussion called 'Science, Materialism and the Human Spirit' alongside Julius Seelye Bixler, Percy W. Bridgman and Jacques Maritain
Jacques Maritain
Jacques Maritain was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised as a Protestant, he converted to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive St. Thomas Aquinas for modern times and is a prominent drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...
. He contributed an essay, The Need for a Secular Ethic, in which he concluded that although supernatural or metaphysical justifications for morality are in decline, this should not lead to a crisis of the moral faith if it is remembered that 'morals have a perfectly firm and objective foundation in the human personality'. In 1954, he gave the annual
Howison Lecture in Philosophy
Howison Lectures in Philosophy
The Howison Lectures in Philosophy are a lecture series established in 1919 by friends and former students of George Howison, who served as the Mills Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy and Civil Polity at the University of California, Berkeley....
at University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he spoke on "Mysticism and Human Reason".
In the fall of 1957, two years after retiring from his post at Princeton, Stace was involved in a controversy surrounding the Princeton Roman Catholic chaplain Dr. Hugh Halton. The chaplain criticised the university's 'abusive liberalism' and Stace was the first of those singled out for censure. Halton stated that 'Stace is enthroning the devil' and that he was 'professionally incompetent', while his philosophy was described as a 'metaphysical mambo'. The Princeton president Dr. Robert F. Goheen
Robert F. Goheen
Robert Francis Goheen was an American academic, president of Princeton University and United States Ambassador to India.-Biography:...
stripped Dr. Halton of his title, an action which was supported by Jacques Maritain, the noted Roman Catholic philosopher and theologian and former Princeton professor.
Theology and mystery
Professor James Ward Smith, a colleague and former student, has said that Stace's basic position was that empiricism does not require the confinement of belief to propositions that are in any strict sense demonstrable.
``The boy who had experienced religious conversion [Professor Smith wrote] was never smothered by the mature clearly-reasoning empiricist. . . . `Either God is a mystery or He is nothing at all,' Stace wrote. `To ask for a proof of the existence of God is on a par with asking for a proof of the existence of beauty. If God does not lie at the end of any telescope, neither does he lie at the end of any syllogism. . . .'"
Works
- A Critical History of Greek Philosophy (1920) Online text
- The Philosophy of Hegel: A systematic exposition (1924) Online text
- The Meaning of Beauty (1929)
- The Theory of Knowledge and Existence (1932)
- The Concept of Morals (1937)
- The Nature of the World. An Essay in Phenomenalist Metaphysics (1940)
- The Destiny of Western Man (1942)
- Religion and the modern mind (1952)
- Time and Eternity (1952)
- Mysticism and Philosophy (1960) Full text online
- Teachings of the MysticsThe Teachings of the MysticsThe Teachings of the Mystics is a 1960 work of popular philosophy by the Princeton philosopher W T Stace that lays out his philosophy of mysticism and compiles writings on mystical experience from across religious traditions. The book’s comprehensive selections met with broadly positive...
(1960) - Man against darkness, and other essays (1967)
Further reading
External links
- Short biography at Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
- Slide show on some of Stace's ideas
- Photograph of Walter Stace at LIFELifeLife is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased , or else because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate...
, Aug 12, 1955