Paul Weiss: Father of Theological Presuppostionalism

Paul Weiss: Philosopher.

From Yale Bulletin: August 30, 2002

(Relevancy: John Warwick Montgomery, in his "Where is History Going" argues that Godon Clark's presuppostionalism is similar to Paul Weiss' philosophy)

Paul Weiss, a preeminent philosopher known particularly for his work in metaphysics, died on July 5 at his home in Washington, D.C.
He was 101.

Professor Weiss taught at Yale from 1946 until his retirement in 1969 as Sterling Professor of Philosophy.

In his more than 30 books, Professor Weiss addressed such topics as metaphysics, cosmology and theology. He had a special interest in the way people related to each other through symbols, language, intonation, art and music. His books include "Being and Other Realities," "Creative Ventures" and, most recently, "Emphatics." A new work, "Surrogates," which explores the way that things stand for one another in nature and human experience, will be published next year. In addition, Professor Weiss co-edited a six-volume collection of the papers of philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce and wrote influential works on the philosophy of the arts, religion, sports, logic and politics.

Professor Weiss was the founder of the Metaphysical Society of America in 1947 and of its academic journal, Review of Metaphysics. He served as the journal's editor until 1964.

He was elected to the Library of Living Philosophers, which published "The Philosophy of Paul Weiss" in 1995 as part of a series of volumes devoted to influential philosophers.

In the book, Professor Weiss explained that he showed signs of a philosophical mind in early childhood. "When I was in the first grade," he recalled, "my teacher said that all the words in the English language were composed of the 26 letters we had so painfully learned. I was dumbfounded.

I spent a good deal of the day going over my vocabulary, searching for a word not made up of some combination of those letters. I then exhibited some of the marks of the philosopher: a refusal to accept the word of authority, a struggle with a problem beyond my powers to resolve, and the use of an unsatisfactory method, followed by a belated discovery that the problem had been misconstrued ..." He also credited his being hit twice by horse-drawn carts during childhood -- and his speculation about the role of chance in such incidents -- as another experience that influenced his interest in philosophical thought.

Paul Weiss was born in Manhattan on May 19, 1901, to working-class Jewish parents. He graduated from City College with a degree in philosophy and then studied with noted philosopher Alfred North Whitehead at Harvard University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1929. He lectured for a year at Harvard and Radcliffe and then taught at Bryn Mawr before coming to Yale.

At Yale, he was known as an animated ,and passionate teacher who was a mentor to many students of philosophy, as well as to such noted alumni as writer William F. Buckley and entertainer Dick Cavett. Professor Weiss was the subject of documentary films and was interviewed by popular television hosts, including Jack Paar.

After his retirement from Yale, Professor Weiss gained notoriety for challenging age discrimination. When offered a prestigious chair at Fordham University that was later rescinded because of his age (he was 69) Professor Weiss filed an age discrimination suit against the university in 1971. He lost the much publicized $1 million suit.

Later, after teaching for many years as the Heffer Visiting Professor of Philosophy of Catholic University in Washington, Professor Weiss challenged that University's refusal to renew his contract, and an investigation by the Equal Opportunity Commission confirmed age discrimination as the reason. Catholic University reinstated Professor Weiss for two more years, after which he retired.

Professor Weiss is survived by his son, Jonathan A. Weiss of New York City, and a daughter, Judith E. Weiss of Las Vegas. His wife, Victoria, died in 1953.