Sir Geoffrey James Warnock (16 August 1923 – 8 October 1995)[1] was an English philosopher and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University.[2] Before his knighthood (in the 1986 New Year Honours), he was commonly known as G. J. Warnock.

Sir Geoffrey Warnock
(c) The Open University 1973
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford
In office
1981–1985
ChancellorThe Earl of Stockton
Preceded bySir Rex Richards
Succeeded byThe Lord Neill of Bladen
Personal details
Born
Geoffrey James Warnock

(1923-08-16)16 August 1923
Leeds, England
Died8 October 1995(1995-10-08) (aged 72)
Axford, Wiltshire, England
Spouse
(m. 1949)
Children5
Alma materWinchester College
New College, Oxford
Known forPhilosopher and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University

Life

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Warnock was born at Neville House, Chapel Allerton, Leeds, West Yorkshire, to James Warnock (1880–1953), OBE, a general practitioner from Northern Ireland who had been a Captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps,[3] and Kathleen (née Hall; 1890–1979). The Warnocks later lived at Grade II-listed[4] Pull Croft, Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire (historically Berkshire).[5][6]

Warnock was educated at Winchester College.[1] He then served with the Irish Guards until 1945, before entering New College, Oxford, with a deferred classics scholarship. At New College, he read for a degree in PPE, graduating with a first in 1948.[7] His tutors during his studies included Isaiah Berlin and H.L.A. Hart.[7]

He was elected to a Fellowship at Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1949. After spending three years at Brasenose College, he returned to Magdalen as a Fellow and tutor in philosophy. In 1970, he was elected to Principal of Hertford College, Oxford (1971–1988), where there is now a society and student house named after him.[8] He was also the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1981 to 1985.[2]

Warnock, with co-editor J. O. Urmson, prepared for posthumous 1961 publication the Philosophical Papers of their friend, and fellow Oxford linguistic philosopher, J. L. Austin.[9] Warnock also reconstructed Austin's Sense and Sensibilia (1962) from manuscript notes.[10]

Warnock married Mary Wilson, a fellow philosopher of St Hugh's College, Oxford, and later Baroness Warnock, in 1949. They had two sons and three daughters.[11][12] He retired to live near Marlborough, Wiltshire, in 1988 and died of degenerative lung disease in 1995[13] at Axford in Wiltshire.

Works

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Books

  • English Philosophy Since 1900, 1st edition, Oxford University Press, 1958; 2nd edition, Oxford University Press, 1969.
  • Contemporary Moral Philosophy (New studies in ethics), Palgrave Macmillan, 1967. ISBN 978-0333048979.
  • The Object of Morality, Methuen, 1971. ISBN 0-416-13780-6.
  • Morality and Language, Barnes & Noble. 1983
  • J. L. Austin (The Arguments of the Philosophers), Routledge, 1989.

Papers/book chapters

For a more complete list of Warnock's works see his PhilPapers entry

References

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  1. ^ a b Torrance, John (16 October 1995). "Obituary: Sir Geoffrey Warnock — Obituaries, News". The Independent. London. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Previous Vice-Chancellors". University of Oxford, UK. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  3. ^ The Medical Register, vol. 2- Provinces and Wales, J. & A. Churchill, Ltd, 1948, p. 2199
  4. ^ "British Listed Buildings: Number 53 (Pull Croft) and railings to front". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Warnock, Sir Geoffrey James". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/60440. Retrieved 21 March 2019. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  6. ^ Wills and Probate 1858–1996, surname 'Warnock', year of death '1954', page 170, Warnock, James, of Pull Croft, Sutton Courtenay, died 4 December 1953, Probate to Kathleen Warnock, widow
  7. ^ a b Gardiner, Patrick (15 October 1995). "OBITUARY: Sir Geoffrey Warnock". The Independent. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  8. ^ Geoffrey Warnock student accommodation Archived 1 October 2005 at the Wayback Machine, Hertford College, Oxford, UK.
  9. ^ Austin, J. L. (1961). Urmson, J. O.; Warnock, G. J. (eds.). Philosophical Papers. Universal Digital Library. Oxford University Press. OL 5843510M.
  10. ^ Austin, J. L. (John Langshaw) (1964). Sense and Sensibilia. Internet Archive. London : Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-500307-9.
  11. ^ "Belief transcript: Mary Warnock interview". archived at the Wayback Machine, 6 February 2007. Archived from the original on 6 February 2007.
  12. ^ "House of Lords". TheyWorkForYou. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  13. ^ "Mary Warnock". The Gifford Lectures. 18 August 2014. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
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Academic offices
Preceded by Principal of Hertford College, Oxford
1971–1988
Succeeded by
Preceded by Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University
1981–1985
Succeeded by