D.Z. Phillips, Rquiescat in Pace

Note: Even though he taught at my doctoral institution (Claremont Graduate University), I never took a class taught by him. Pity!

D.Z. Phillips (1934-2006)
D.Z. Phillips, the Danforth Professor of Philosophy of Religion at Claremont Graduate University, has died at the age of 71 at Swansea, Wales, where he was working on research.
Phillips, also a research professor at the University of Wales, was considered a world leader in philosophy of religion, and a respected expert of Ludwig Wittgenstein, the 20th-century philosopher. Phillips applied Wittgenstein’s theories of philosophy to religion, and spent most of his life defending the integrity of people’s religious experiences and beliefs against a purely rationalistic critique. He was passionate about exploring our understanding of reality and experiences through a common language.
His other major influences were Rush Rhees and Peter Winch, and he was the Rush Rhees Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wales from 1996-2001.
While Phillips was considered one of the world’s most recognized philosophers of religion, he was often controversial, as he had no stated position and used no formal logic. He was also unique because he was not dismissive of theories with which he disagreed with, and instead, he held them accountable for their contributions to philosophical debate.

Read the rest of the article: http://www.cgu.edu/pages/357.asp?EventID=219