W. B. Gallie

Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Walter Bryce Gallie (5 October 1912 – 31 August 1998) was a Scottish social theorist, political theorist, and philosopher. He put forth the notion of essentially contested concepts.

Life

W. B. Gallie was born in Lenzie, East Dunbartonshire, near Glasgow, the son of an engineer. He worked as a classics teacher at Sedbergh School between the wars. In 1940, while working as a philosophy lecturer in University College of Swansea, he married Welsh-speaking novelist Menna Patricia Humphreys, who was studying for an English degree, and with whom he had a son and a daughter. In 1949 he had published his first book An English School in which he documented his 'reflections on his schooldays as a Classics specialist at Sedburgh [sic] between the wars, and on education in general'. Gallie died in Cardigan, Ceredigion, on 31 August 1998. In 2000 he published an article in Philosophical Investigations which comprises extracts from his partly-autobiographical projected book 'Apologia Pro Opusculo Suo' (see below under 'Publications').

Military career

Gallie served in the British Army from 1940 to 1945, and left the service with the rank of major. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre. Sharpe (1998) commented: '[The time he spent in the army] evidently made an (sic) great impression upon him. Though a very out-going man, he never spoke of his wartime experiences though he repeatedly returned to the philosophical aspects of war in conversation.'

Academic career

Gallie joined the Philosophy Department of Swansea University as an assistant lecturer in 1935 and in 1948 became Senior Lecturer. Gallie left Swansea after never having been 'much in sympathy with the Wittgensteinian influence which was beginning to dominate there'. He became Professor of Philosophy at University College of North Staffordshire in 1950, Professor of Logic and Metaphysics at Queen's University, Belfast in 1954 and Professor of Political Science at Cambridge University 1967. He was also a fellow of Peterhouse from 1967 to 1978.

Notable contributions

In 1952 Gallie had his book 'Peirce and pragmatism' published, which introduced the work of Charles Sanders Peirce to an international readership. A.J. Ayer, the English philosopher, provided the Editorial Foreword to Gallie's book. In it he credited Peirce's philosophy as being 'not only of great historical significance, as one of the original sources of American pragmatism, but also extremely important in itself.' Ayer concluded: 'it is clear from Professor Gallie’s exposition of his doctrines that he is a philosopher from whom we still have much to learn.'

Gallie argued in his 1955 paper 'Essentially contested concepts' that it is impossible to conclusively define key appraisive concepts such as 'social justice,' 'democracy,' 'Christian life', 'art', 'moral goodness' and 'duty', although it is possible and rational to discuss one's justifications for holding one interpretation over competing ones. Clarification of such concepts involves not the examination of predictive relations (as is the case for most scientific concepts), but rather, consideration of how the concept has been used by different parties throughout its history.

Publications

Gallie was a prolific author and the articles that he had published which are listed below are only a sample. Works by Gallie, W.B. may be consulted for a complete listing.

Pre 1950

• 1939:
• 1949: An English School. London: Cresset Press.

1950s

• 1952:
• 1954: The Function of Philosophical Aesthetics. In 'Aesthetics and Language: Essays by W. B. Gallie and Others'. Edited by William Elton. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Later republished in 1967. Accessed 28 February 2025.
• 1955:
• 1956:
• 1956: IX—Essentially Contested Concepts.. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society. 56. 167–198.
• 1957:
• 1957:
• 1959: (An Inaugural Lecture Delivered on 15 May 1957 at the Queen's University of Belfast which was originally published in 1957 by Marjory Boyd, M.A., Printer to the Queen's University of Belfast.)

1960s

• 1960: A New University: A. D. Lindsay and the Keele Experiment. London: Chatto & Windus.
• 1963: Reprinted as Chapter 2 Narrative and historical understanding in 'The history and narrative reader'. Edited by Geoffrey Roberts. London: Routledge. Accessed 27 February 2025.
• 1964: Philosophy and the Historical Understanding. London: Chatto & Windus. (See also the entry immediately below.)
• 1968:
• 1968:

1970s

• 1973:
• 1978: (The Wiles Lectures which were delivered at Belfast University in May 1976.)
• 1979:

Post 1980

• 1983:
• 1991:
• 2000:

References

• John, Angela V. 'Introduction'. In

Further reading

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