Thomas Nagel is a famous American philosopher. The researcher made a significant contribution to the study of ethics and altruism. In addition, he is a professor at the New York University of Philosophy and Law, with more than 40 years of teaching experience. Nagel opposed the neo-Darwinian view of the emergence of consciousness, and also in every possible way criticized the simplified approach of his contemporaries to philosophy.
Early biography
Thomas Nagel was born on July 4, 1937 in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. His parents were Jewish. During the years of Hitler's rule, they fled Germany, trying to find political asylum. In 1939, the family moved to New York, where young Thomas spent his entire childhood.
After leaving school, Nagel entered Cornell University in the philosophy department, and graduated with honors in 1958. It was here that he first became acquainted with the philosophy of the famous Austrian logician Ludwig Wittgenstein, which had a strong influence on him. Then Thomas decided to continue his studies at Oxford University. Thanks to a prestigious Fulbright scholarship, he was able to get an education completely free of charge. In 1963, the young researcher successfully defended his dissertation at Harvard University, after which he was awarded a Ph. D. At the same time, he became friends with the prominent analyst John Rawls, who later became known as "the most important political philosopher of the twentieth century."
From 1963 to 1966, Nagel taught at the Universities of California and Princeton, where he trained such famous researchers as Susan Wolf, Shelley Kagan and Samuel Scheffler. In the future, they all received world fame and recognition from the scientific community.
A few years later, Thomas became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as a corresponding member of the British Academy. In 2006 he was elected Honorary Chairman of the American Philosophical Society. For his scientific research he was awarded the Rolf Schock Prize and a Certificate of Honor from the University of Oxford.
Career growth
Nagel published his first philosophical research at the age of 20. During his career, he has written over a hundred scientific articles for various journals. Thomas still sincerely believes that it is impossible to find the only correct view of the world. His works say that there are a huge number of different ways and methods to understand our practical and moral principles. In addition, the researcher constantly convinced his opponents that common sense is just an invention of humanity, because in fact, every representative of society has a special type of thinking. In his work What Is It Like To Be A Bat? Thomas explained that objective science is not able to help people fully know themselves, since the whole process of self-knowledge is, in fact, built on a subjective approach.
In addition, the philosopher has repeatedly mentioned that science still knows practically nothing about man. Nevertheless, in his writings, it is constantly mentioned that in the future there will be plausible knowledge about the mind, which will allow individuals to recognize what lies at the basis of their mental and physical properties.
The desire to represent human nature as a composite and structured system accompanied the rationalist for many years. For example, at one of the scientific conferences he criticized the direction of physicalism, whose followers identified the functions of the brain and consciousness. Thomas was convinced that the main feature of consciousness is subjectivity, so no scientist is able to describe the mental work of an individual using objective positions. For such a large-scale study, it is always necessary to take individual personality traits as a basis. Only in this way, in his opinion, it is possible to obtain evidence about the psychophysiological state of the individual.
At the same time, Thomas Nagel had some pretty interesting views on human evolution. He believed that materialist philosophers are unable to explain the laws by which consciousness works. According to his worldview, the mind has always accompanied a person, therefore it is a natural component. On the basis of theoretical understanding, Thomas was able to prove that the standard approach to the origin of life has lost its relevance. Nagel always advocated that life is not a series of accidents, but a consistent process of human development. His views were shared by such prominent defenders of intelligent meaning as Michael Behe, Stephen Meyer, and David Berlinski.
Hobbies and personal life
Thomas Nagel is currently 82 years old. The researcher continues to engage in philosophical science, advise his graduates and write theoretical works. In his free time, the researcher realizes his creative potential. He regularly visits art clubs, is interested in painting and contemporary literature.
Thomas was married twice in his life. His first chosen one was the American Doris Bloom, whom he met back in 1954. In early 1973, the couple broke up. In 1979, Nagel remarried the historian Ann Hollander. According to the study itself, this marriage was filled with happiness and mutual understanding. The couple got along well, often traveled together and did scientific work.
However, since Anne's death in 2014, Nagel lives in complete solitude. He rarely appears in public and rarely gives interviews to journalists. Due to his age, the scientist is forced to regularly attend medical consultations, undergo rehabilitation programs and do gymnastics.
