Recently in In Memoriam Category

D.Z. Phillips, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the University of Wales, Swansea, died suddenly of a heart attack as he worked in the library at Swansea this week. He was 71. Phillips is perhaps best known as the leading Wittgensteinian philosopher of religion and as a prolific author. Among his many books are The concept of prayer, Wittgenstein and Religion, The Problem Of Evil And The Problem Of God, Death and immortality, and Philosophy's Cool Place. Phillips served as President of the British Society for the Philosophy of Religion, Director of the Rush Rhees Archives and the Peter Winch Archives, and editor of the journal Philosophical Investigations. Professor Phillips's funeral service will be held at a Welsh congregational chapel in Swansea:- Ebenezer Newydd, Henrietta Street, Swansea On 4th August at 12.30 Swansea University Press Release icWales Obituary

Yale historian Jaroslav Jan Pelikan (1923-2006) has died of lung cancer at the age of 82. Pelikan was one of the world's leading scholars of the history of Christianity and medieval intellectual history. Pelikan served on the faculty at Yale University from 1962 to 1996. His numerous awards include the Yale Graduate School's Wilbur Cross Medal, the Medieval Academy of America's Haskins Medal, and the John W. Kluge Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Human Sciences. He is a past president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, delivered the 12th annual Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, and twice delivered Gifford lectures. Pelikan's 1992-93 Gifford lectures were published as Christianity and Classical Culture, just one of the more than 30 books Pelikan published. Though, Pelikan is perhaps best known for his five volume The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine. A useful biography is the 1990 profile of Pelikan for Christianity Today by historian Mark Noll of Wheaton College. Associated Press Obituary

Louis Pojman, Professor of Philosophy, United States Military Academy, died peacefully at home on October 15th. He had liver cancer secondary to cirrhosis and hepatis-C contracted via blood transfusion 18 years ago.

Lou is survived by his wife, Trudy, and his children, Ruth and Paul (an assistant philosopher at Towson University in MD).

The family is planning a Memorial Service for Lou as follows:

2:00 P.M. Friday December 30th
The Unitarian Church of All Souls, 1157 Lexington Ave. at 79th St. in Manhattan
A Reception follows in the Church Hall

Pope John Paul II 1920-2005 As I am sure most of our readers know by now Pope John Paul II, born Karol Wojtyla, passed away today. Many news outlets have focused their remembrance of John Paul as the champion of human freedom. This is generally portrayed in light of his influence in helping to topple communism in Europe. I am sure that this Pope will remain a figure of controversy with some seeing him as a defender of the dignity of human life and the integrity of the family, and others seeing his doctrinal conservatism - opposition to contraception, abortion, and women priests as setting back both the church and human progress for decades. For those not familiar with the philosophical aspects of John Paul's life I offer "Pope John Paul II: The Philosopher Pope." (Hat tip: Max Goss)