John Hospers
From Philosopedia
Hospers, John (9 June 1918— )
Born in Pella, Iowa, Hospers earned his degrees from the University of Iowa and Columbia University. Early in his career he taught philosophy at Brooklyn College and at California State University, Los Angeles.
When he reviewed books for The Humanist, Hospers was in the department of philosophy at Brooklyn College. He later became director of the School of Philosophy at the University of Southern California.
Hospers wrote Meaning and Truth in the Arts (1946), Human Conduct (1961), Libertarianism (1971), Understanding the Arts (1982, and numerous articles in the field of aesthetics.
Hospers, a major supporter of Ayn Rand, edited The Monist.
The Presidential Candidate
- Hospers was the first presidential candidate of the United States Libertarian Party, running in the 1972 presidential election. He and his vice-presidential running mate, Theodora Nathan, received one electoral vote from Roger MacBride, a Republican elector from Virginia.
- Hospers also ran for governor of California as a Libertarian in 1974.
- In 2002, an hour-long video about his life, work, and philosophy was released by the Liberty Fund of Indianapolis as part of its Classics of Liberty series.
- * According to libertarianism, the role of government should be limited to the retaliatory use of force against those who have initiated its use. It should not enter into other areas, such as religion, social organization, and economics.
- - John Hospers, quoted in Tibor Machan's The Libertarian Alternative (1974)
- * According to libertarianism, the role of government should be limited to the retaliatory use of force against those who have initiated its use. It should not enter into other areas, such as religion, social organization, and economics.
Book Reviewer
- Hospers letter to Warren Allen Smith, Book Review Editor of The Humanist
