John Lachs, Interview with Pat S Quotes

A collection of quotes by John Lachs, Interview with Pat S.

John Lachs is a prominent American philosopher and educator. Born on July 29, 1934, he is well-known for his insightful contributions to American pragmatism and his extensive work in ethics, metaphysics, and philosophy of mind. Raised in Hungary, Lachs and his family immigrated to the United States to escape the Nazi regime in 1941.

Lachs earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Dartmouth College in 1955 and completed his Ph.D. at Yale University in 1961. He began his teaching career at Vanderbilt University before joining the philosophy department at Florida State University, where he spent most of his academic career.

Throughout his distinguished career, Lachs has published numerous scholarly articles and books, including "Stoic Pragmatism" and "Intermediate Man." He has become particularly well-regarded for his philosophical insights on human flourishing, the value of wisdom, and the importance of personal freedom and autonomy in an increasingly interconnected world.

Lachs has also traveled widely, delivering lectures and presenting his philosophical ideas at various universities and international conferences. Furthermore, he has mentored countless students and influenced the philosophical community through his insightful teaching and guidance.

Now retired from his teaching position at Vanderbilt University, John Lachs continues to engage in philosophical discussions and activities. His dedication to pursuing truth and exploring the practical implications of philosophical ideas has made him a highly respected voice in contemporary American philosophy.

It does not really avail us much to get clear definitions. I am for clarity, by all means, but to think that you can reduce a concept to a relatively simple definition, and that you can somehow go somewhere that will be interesting and fruitful, just does not seem to me to be very plausible at the present time. And that is exactly what I used to strive for. I took old Socrates seriously; you search for the definition. You get the essence of the thing, and once you get the essence and the definition that somehow captures that essence, you are home free. That is how you do philosophy. When you read Hegel, you realize how incredibly flexible and supple concepts are, how they take you for a fool when you take them too literally and too tightly, how they are interconnected with one another, how they interplay in ways you really do not understand, how in other words, strangely enough, you really do not understand any part unless, or until, you understand the whole. That is what I learned from these folks. I really think that stress on context is terribly important and enriches one's philosophical approach significantly.http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/philosophy/faculty/lachs_interview.html

John Lachs, Interview with Pat S

Philosophy