Morton White headshot

Morton White

Past Faculty
School of Historical Studies

Philosophy and Intellectual History

Affiliation

Historical Studies

Morton White was Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies, where he served as Professor from 1970 until his retirement 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. In his philosophy of holistic pragmatism, he bridged the positivistic gulf between analytic and synthetic truth as well as that between moral and scientific belief. He maintained that philosophy of science is not philosophy enough, thereby encouraging the examination of other aspects of civilized life—especially art, history, law, politics, and religion—and their relations with science.

Dates at IAS

Emeritus
School of Historical Studies
Faculty
School of Historical Studies
Member
School of Historical Studies
Member
School of Historical Studies
Member
School of Historical Studies

Degrees

Columbia University
Ph.D.
1942
Columbia University
A.M.
1938
City College of New York
B.Sc.
1936

Honors

Awards: Columbia University, Butler Medal in Philosophy 1961, Woodbridge Prize in Philosophy 1943; Guggenheim Fellowship 1950–51
Honorary Degrees: City University of New York, L.H.D. 1975
Memberships: American Academy of Arts and Sciences; American Antiquarian Society; American Council of Learned Societies; American Philosophical Society

Appointments

Harvard University
1948–1970
Professor 1953–70, Chairman of the Department of Philosophy 1954–57, Associate Professor 1950–53, Assistant Professor 1948–50
University of Pennsylvania
1946–1948
Assistant Professor