Alan Donagan

Alan Donagan (10 February 1925 – 1991) was an influential philosopher of the 20th century, distinguished for his theories on the history of philosophy and the nature of morality. He is most well known for his book "The Theory of Morality" (1977) where he tries to argue for the common morality of the Hebrew-Christian traditions which Thomas Aquinas and Immanuel Kant shared. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was deeply committed to the history of law and ethics which led him to conceptual issues that arise out of practical reflections on moral and juridical issues. Volume 104, No.1 of The Journal Ethics was dedicated in honor of his philosophy.

Writings

• The Later Philosophy of R. G. Collingwood (Oxford, 1962)
• Philosophy of History ed. Alan Donagan and Barbara Donagan (Macmillan, 1965)
• The Theory of Morality (Chicago, 2nd Ed with corrections 1979)
• Choice: The Essential Element in Human Action (Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987)
• Spinoza (Chicago, 1988)
• The Philosophical Papers of Alan Donagan ed. J. E. Malpas, 2 vols (Chicago, 1994)
• Reflections on Philosophy and Religion ed. Anthony N. Perovich Jr. (Oxford, 1999)