David Lewis is an American philosopher known for his scandalous assertion that there are different worlds in the universe. He taught at California and then Princeton University until his death. During the life of Lewis, the philosophical community refused to accept his views, but modern science highly appreciates the scientist's contribution to the theory of probability, metaphysics, logic and aesthetics.
Early biography
David Lewis was born in Oberlin, Ohio. The boy grew up in a highly cultured environment. Prominent historians, philosophers and art critics constantly gathered in his family mansion. David's father worked as a professor of public administration at a local college, and his mother was a distinguished specialist in the field of the Middle Ages. Already in elementary school, the future scientist began to attend lectures in chemistry. In addition, he was always interested in the labors and discoveries of his parents. The boy was trying at all costs to understand the essence of their research and learn something interesting for himself. To understand new knowledge, he turned to the rich family library each time. In a word, from childhood, Lewis developed his mind and observation.
As an adult, Lewis entered the prestigious Oxford University. At the time, he was a regular listener to lectures by prominent philosophers Iris Murdoch and Gilbert Ryle. Studying at Oxford helped David to finally decide on a professional choice. From that time on, he began to document his research in the field of philosophy.
In addition, in 1967, the young scientist received his doctorate from Harvard. After his defense, he managed to get acquainted with the famous Australian philosopher John Smart, who later had a strong influence on the formation of Lewis as a researcher. David always consulted with an older colleague and friend before publishing a new work.
Career in science
In 1969, David published his first monograph, The Convention: A Philosophical Study. This fundamental work was based in part on his dissertation and was based on game theory. In his research, Lewis tried to uncover and analyze the nature of social agreements. As a result, this large-scale work brought him an honorary award - the first Franklin Matchett prize for the best book published by a philosopher under 40. Most of the theoretical discussion that unfolded on the pages of his monograph was devoted to the conflict between society and representatives of the authorities.
Later, Lewis switched to another philosophical topic, which he studied until the end of his life. In 1973, the scientist put forward his own theory of possible worlds. His professional views were based on the fact that everything that exists is "built on" over the properties of individual points of the four-dimensional space of time. He argued that there are possible worlds within the galaxy that are not related to each other. And still no one has succeeded in making accurate quantitative calculations, because there are infinitely many such worlds.
David Lewis insisted that human capabilities are actively realized by the "doubles" of individuals in possible worlds. So, for example, if a person says that he could become an artist and not an office worker, then, according to the scientist's concept, he is counting on his “double” who has become an artist in at least one of the existing worlds.
Of course, the scandalous views of the philosopher have been severely criticized more than once. In particular, representatives of the scientific community, who rebelled against Lewis, constantly hinted to him that not a single person in the world can know for sure what is happening outside our planet. David often agreed with critical reviews, continuing to lay the foundations of his theory. The fact is that in most cases it was based on instinctive scientific knowledge, which cannot be supported by practical evidence.
Hobbies, work and personal life
In his spare time, David Lewis was engaged in the creative interpretation of classical works. This interest later resulted in his work "Truth in Fiction." In addition, the scientist taught at the University of California and Pristan University. He was a mentor to young philosophers. Over the years at these institutions, Lewis has trained many of today's successful academics who still work on campuses today.
For most of his life, the scientist suffered from severe diabetes. In 1999, his condition began to deteriorate rapidly, leading to kidney failure. A little later, in July 2020, he underwent a kidney transplant. His wife Stephanie became the donor. By the way, the woman always took care of her husband and tried to surround him with a favorable home atmosphere so that he would continue to carry out his research.
The transplant allowed David Lewis to work and travel for another year, but on October 14, 2001, at the age of 60, he died unexpectedly from further complications from diabetes.
Throughout his life, the famous philosopher adhered to atheistic beliefs. He sincerely believed in the versatility of human life, denying the existence of God in every possible way. In his works, he repeatedly emphasized his own confidence in the self-sufficiency of the natural world and the human origin of all religions. The researcher was skeptical of supernatural forces and always emphasized empirical arguments.
After Lewis's death, popular philosophical journals published his articles on modal logic, general semantics, and the theory of universals, paying tribute to the great scientist.
