My old philosophy professor has died. He was the only person I’ve ever met who both received a vote in the electoral college for president of the United States and published leading textbooks in ethics and aesthetics. I am fairly confident that he was the only person of whom that will ever be said.
When I enrolled at the University of Southern California in 1973 to study philosophy, John was chairman of the department. I already knew about him, however, as I had read his book Libertarianism: A Political Philosophy for Tomorrow and had heard him debate against socialism the year before, alongside the late R. A. Childs, Jr. That was when John was the first presidential candidate of the brand new Libertarian Party. (He and his running mate, the first woman ever to receive an electoral vote, Tonie Nathan, were on the ballot in only 2 states that year.) It wasn’t a very vigorous campaign, but it helped thousands of people to say, “You know, I don’t fit in with either the left or the right; they’re both abusive of liberty.” Besides that electoral vote the Hospers campaign helped to launch a long-term political alignment that is very much with us today, as people increasingly see issues in terms of personal liberty and responsibility, rather than as a battle between two different flavors of statism.
Tom G. Palmer, “John Hospers, R.I.P.”, Cato @ Liberty, 2011-06-14
June 14, 2011
QotD: John Hospers
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Following Dr. John Hospers’ death at age 93, I read several memorials which emphasized the importance of his being the first Libertarian candidate for President in the 1972 Presidential Election. To me, Dr. Hosper’s legacy lies elsewhere. He was an excellent teacher and a patient, tireless advocate of Libertarian ideas. I know because I am one of his former students.
I was an undergraduate student at USC from 1971-1975. When I arrived at USC as a freshman, I knew nothing about philosophy. However, I had a strong interest in understanding the world and learning the right way to live. In my introductory philosophy course at USC, we used Dr. Hospers’ text book “An Introduction To Philosophical Analysis.” The course and his book had a profound influence on me. Dr. Hospers’ book opened my eyes to a whole new world. Later, I took courses taught by Dr. Hospers in “Introductory Ethics,” “Social and Political Philosophy” and “Aesthetics.” Dr. Hospers taught these courses primarily from his books “Human Conduct,” “Libertarianism,” “Meaning and Truth in the Arts.” To this day, I fondly remember Dr. Hospers comments, in “Social and Political Philosophy,” about the inefficiency of the United States Postal Service. I also took a course at USC in “Normative Ethics” from another philosophy professor where we used Dr. Hospers’ text “Readings In Ethical Theory” co-authored by Wilfred Sellars.
In Dr. Hospers course on Social and Political Philosophy, he introduced me to Libertarian thought. I recall the excitement I felt coming to meet with him in his office and buying a copy of his book “Libertarianism.” I think I paid $5.00 for it. I recall his office being filled with books, copies of articles he used in his classes, and copies of the “Personalist” of which he was the editor.
I also recall attending lunch seminars with Dr. Hospers where we discussed Libertarian ideas. He always had time for his students. He wrote letters of recommendation for me for law school and graduate school. And he gave me wise counsel about where I would be happiest pursuing my graduate education.
Since my days as an undergraduate, I have been a strong, principled advocate of limited government. Dr. Hospers’ teachings are the origin of my Libertarian ideas. It is one of the high points of my formal education that I was privileged to have him as my teacher. He made a significant difference in my life.
I will miss him.
Brandon K. Tady
BA, JD, MA.
Comment by Brandon Tady — June 16, 2011 @ 16:49