The great Peter Strawson (my teacher's teacher) died last year, but I missed this former student's letter, published in the Guardian not long afterwards ...
Thursday March 9, 2006
The Guardian
While I was a philosophy student of Sir Peter Strawson at University College, Oxford, in summer 1965, my father died. I had a tutorial with Professor Strawson at which I was due to deliver an essay the day before the funeral. Unable to write anything, I went to apologise. I have never forgotten his response: "To think that you should be worried about writing an essay at such a time. Philosophy is just a game played by clever people to avoid having to get their knees brown." We spent the rest of the hour talking about coming to terms with my loss. That was true humanity. (Jeremey Hein)
Although I was fortunate enough to share quite a few meals and conversations with him while at Univ, I never knew Professor Strawson well. But from all that I've gathered from those who knew him better than I, such humanity was no less characteristic than was his acumen.
Thursday March 9, 2006
The Guardian
While I was a philosophy student of Sir Peter Strawson at University College, Oxford, in summer 1965, my father died. I had a tutorial with Professor Strawson at which I was due to deliver an essay the day before the funeral. Unable to write anything, I went to apologise. I have never forgotten his response: "To think that you should be worried about writing an essay at such a time. Philosophy is just a game played by clever people to avoid having to get their knees brown." We spent the rest of the hour talking about coming to terms with my loss. That was true humanity. (Jeremey Hein)
Although I was fortunate enough to share quite a few meals and conversations with him while at Univ, I never knew Professor Strawson well. But from all that I've gathered from those who knew him better than I, such humanity was no less characteristic than was his acumen.
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