Morton White

Morton White, one of America’s most distinguished philosophers and historians, died at the age of 99 in Skillman, New Jersey. He was Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies, where he served as Professor from 1970 until he retired in 1987. One of America’s most distinguished philosophers and historians of ideas, White broadened the scope of topics traditionally studied by philosophers, with incisive analysis in the realms of epistemology and social and political philosophy.

Research from the Margins

The Institute Letter, Spring 2025

The Institute is home to an intriguing collection of marginalia. Appearing in books and offprints, on photographs and squeezes, and on notecards, it transforms what might seem like static artifacts into dynamic records of scholarly engagement, creating a multilayered conversation that can even stretch across millennia.

Historical Studies

From a Philosophical Point of View

Morton White

From a Philosophical Point of View: Selected Studies (Princeton University Press, 2004), by Morton White, Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies, is a selection of essays written over the course of sixty years. Encompassing a variety...

Historical Studies

A Philosophy of Culture

Morton White

A Philosophy of Culture: The Scope of Holistic Pragmatism (Princeton University Press, 2004), by Morton White, Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies, is an original and distinctive examination of central issues in the philosophy of...

Historical Studies

A Philosopher’s Story

Morton White

A Philosopher's Story (Penn State University Press, 1999) by Morton White, Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies, is a memoir that captures White's interactions with other leading thinkers and experiences at major institutions of...

Historical Studies

The Question of Free Will

Morton White

One of the main philosophical puzzles is the question of free will: what is it? do we have it? how do we know we have it? The Question of Free Will: A Holistic View (Princeton University Press, 1994) by Morton White, Professor Emeritus in the School...

Historical Studies

Science and Sentiment in America

Morton White

Science and Sentiment in America: Philosophical Thought from Jonathan Edwards to John Dewey (Oxford University Press, 1972), by Morton White, Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies, is a study of American philosophy from Jonathan...

Historical Studies

Foundations of Historical Knowledge

Morton White

Foundations of Historical Knowledge (Harper & Row, 1965) by Morton White, Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies, is an examination of the covering law (CL) theory of objective historical explanation, a concept criticized by both...

Historical Studies

The Intellectual Versus the City

Morton White and Lucia Perry White

The Intellectual Versus the City: From Thomas Jefferson to Frank Lloyd Wright (Harvard University Press, 1962), by Morton White, Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies, and Lucia Perry White, is an examination of anti-urbanism in...

Historical Studies

Toward Reunion in Philosophy

Morton White

Toward Reunion in Philosophy (Harvard University Press, 1956) by Morton White, Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies, is a critical evaluation of issues in ontology, epistemology, and ethics. In this examiniation of three...

Social Thought in America: The Revolt Against Formalism

Morton White

Social Thought in America: The Revolt Against Formalism (Viking, 1949), by Morton White, Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies, is a classic text of American intellectual history, which assesses the work of John Dewey, Thorstein...