H. B. Acton
Harold Burrows Acton | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 June 1908 |
| Died | 16 June 1974 (aged 66) Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Philosophical work | |
| Era | 20th-century philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Libertarianism[1] |
Harold Burrows Acton (2 June 1908 – 16 June 1974) was an English academic in the field of political philosophy, known for books defending the morality of capitalism, and attacking Marxism-Leninism.[2] He in particular produced arguments on the incoherence of Marxism, which he described as a 'farrago' (in philosophical terms). His book The Illusion of the Epoch, in which this appears, is a standard point of reference. Other interests were the Marquis de Condorcet, Hegel, John Stuart Mill, Herbert Spencer, F. H. Bradley, Bernard Bosanquet and Sidney Webb. Acton also endorsed a version of negative utilitarianism, according to which the reduction of suffering has unique moral importance.[3]
'Harry' Acton held teaching positions at University College, Swansea, Bedford College and the University of Edinburgh where he occupied the Chair of Moral Philosophy.[2] He was editor of Philosophy, the journal of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, of which he was for a time Director. He was president of the Aristotelian Society from 1952 to 1953.[4][2]
He is buried in Grange Cemetery in Edinburgh close to the main entrance.
Works
- The Illusion of the Epoch: Marxism-Leninism as a Philosophical Creed (1955)
- The Philosophy of Language in Revolutionary France (1959) Dawes Hicks Lecture of the British Academy
- What Marx Really Said (1967)
- Philosophy of Punishment (1969) editor
- Kant's moral philosophy (1970)
- The Morals of Markets: an Ethical Exploration (1971) essays edited by David Gordon and Jeremy Shearmur. 2nd edition (1993), Liberty Fund, ISBN 978-0-86597-106-6
- The Right to Work and the Right to Strike (1972)
- The ethics of capitalism (The Company and its Responsibilities) (1972)
- The idea of a spiritual power: 1973 Auguste Comte memorial trust lecture (1974)
References
- ^ Tom G. Palmer (ed.), Why Liberty, Jameson Books, 2013, p. 30.
- ^ a b c Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Philosophers. London: Routledge. 1996. p. 4. ISBN 0-415-06043-5.
- ^ Acton, Henry Burrows, “Negative Utilitarianism,” with John William Nevill Watkins, Aristotelian Society Supplementary, 1963, Volume 37:1, pp. 83-114.
- ^ "H. B. Acton" (PDF). Philosophy. 49 (189): 229–229. July 1974. doi:10.1017/S003181910004818X. ISSN 1469-817X.
External links
- H.B. Acton, The Illusion of the Epoch: Marxism-Leninism as a Philosophical Creed (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2003). See original text in The Online Library of Liberty Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
