Frederick Copleston A major English-language historian of philosophy, a Catholic priest of the Jesuit order Date of Birth: 10.04.1907 Country: Great Britain

1. Early Life and Education
2. Ordination and Jesuit Life
3. Academic Career
4. Gifford Lectures and Later Years
5. Death and Legacy

Early Life and Education

Frederick Copleston was born on April 10, 1907, in Taunton, England. His family was Anglican, but Copleston converted to Roman Catholicism at the age of 16, much to the surprise of his parents. Despite their initial disapproval, they supported his decision to continue his education.

Copleston attended Marlborough College from 1920 to 1925 and then Saint John's College, Oxford, from 1925 to 1929. He graduated with honors in both Honour Moderations and Literae Humaniores.

Ordination and Jesuit Life

In 1930, Copleston joined the Jesuit Order. After two years of novitiate training in Roehampton, he moved to Heythrop College in London. There, he was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1937.

Academic Career

In 1938, Copleston traveled to Germany to complete his tertianship, returning just before the outbreak of World War II. He had planned to pursue a doctorate at the Pontifical Gregorian University, but the war prevented him from doing so.

Instead, he became a lecturer in philosophy at Heythrop College. From 1946 to 1975, Copleston wrote his monumental nine-volume "A History of Philosophy," providing a comprehensive account of ancient, medieval, and modern philosophy. It remains a "major achievement" that "remains unchallenged by any author in this field, being in substance most impressive."

Throughout his academic career, Copleston was recognized with numerous honors. He was a visiting professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University from 1952 to 1968 and elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1970. From 1974 to 1982, he was a visiting professor at the University of Santa Clara.

Gifford Lectures and Later Years

In 1979-1981, Copleston delivered the Gifford Lectures at the University of Aberdeen, which were later published as "Religion and the One." In these lectures, he attempted "to touch upon the topics of his thirty years' meditation more personally than in the official history."

Copleston continued to lecture after his official retirement in 1974. He received honorary degrees from the University of Santa Clara, Uppsala University, and the University of St. Andrews. He was also a member of the Royal Institute of Philosophy and the Aristotelian Society.

Death and Legacy

Frederick Copleston passed away on February 3, 1994, at St. Thomas's Hospital at the age of 86.

In addition to his seminal "A History of Philosophy," one of Copleston's most significant contributions to philosophy was his work on the theories of Thomas Aquinas. He attempted to clarify the essence of the Quinque viae outlined in the "Summa Theologica" by distinguishing between causes in fieri and causes in esse. Copleston concluded that Aquinas was arguing for the existence of an omnipresent God rather than a mere being who could fade away once a chain of cause and effect was established in motion.

For his contributions to British philosophy, Copleston was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1993.