William T. Blackstone

Blackstone was born on December 8, 1931, in Augusta, Georgia.^[2]: 369 He studied his undergraduate degree at Elon College, graduating in 1953.^[1]: 240 While there, he took part in several sports, including tennis and basketball.^[3]: 141 He was the college's joint-lead punter during 1951 and 1952,^[4] and was ranked the best receiver in the American football program for 1952.^[5] He became a letterman for his participation in the team.^[6]

He later studied at Duke University, receiving an MA in 1955 and a PhD in 1957.^[1]: 240 While there, he became friends with Kai Nielsen: despite disagreeing politically, both had an interest in John Rawls' A Theory of Justice.^[3]: 143

Following his PhD, Blackstone joined Elon College's philosophy department for one year,^[1]: 240 before joining the University of Florida as Assistant Professor of Philosophy, where he stayed until 1961.^[2]: 369 He then joined the University of Georgia as Assistant Professor of Philosophy,^[2]: 369 leading the department from 1964 until 1972.^[3]: 141 He served as Chairman of the Division of Social Sciences from 1969 and became Research Professor of Philosophy in 1975, holding both positions until his death.^[2]: 369

In 1975, Blackstone held a seminar for the National Endowment for the Humanities, focusing on "justice and equality" in John Rawls' philosophy.^[3]: 143

In 1963, Blackstone published The Problem of Religious Knowledge, in which Tad S. Clements says he "attempts [...] to apply criteria of cognitivity and of warranted assertability to religious utterances".^[7] In 1965, he published a book on Francis Hutcheson titled Francis Hutcheson and Contemporary Ethical Theory. It contains detailed analysis of Hutcheson's beliefs, as well as comparisons with Richard Price and various twentieth-century philosophers.^[8]: 177

In 1969, he published a collection of essays titled The Concept of Equality, featuring writing by Isaiah Berlin, Bernard Williams, John Plamenatz, Andrew J. Reck, Herbert Spiegelberg, and Monroe Beardsley.^[9]: 135 John Howie praised the book for its wide range of views on equality, saying "it is a pleasure to recommend this book to all who have a serious concern for equality, its theory and practice".^[9]: 137 In the same year, Blackstone and George L. Newsome edited Education and Ethics, a collection of eight essays presented at a University of Georgia symposium.^[10]: 188 In Philosophy & Rhetoric, John Waite Bowers found little relevance outside of the essays by Frederick A. Olafson and Anthony A. Nemetz, stating "the other essays are so innocuous that no such human judgment is necessary".^[10]: 190

From 18 to 20 February 1971, the University of Georgia held the Fourth Annual Conference in Philosophy.^[11]: 223 The conference, organized by Blackstone, was the first ever philosophical conference on environmental ethics,^[1]: 241 A collection of the papers presented was published in 1974,^[1]: 241 given the title Philosophy & Environmental Crisis.^[12]: 379 The conference featured talks from Blackstone and fellow philosophers Joel Feinberg, Charles Hartshorne, Walter H. O'Briant, Nicholas Rescher, Robert G. Burton, and Pete A. Y. Gunter, as well as biologist Eugene Odum.^[12]: 378 Writing in Journal of Thought, J. M. Riteris notes that Blackstone's essay had been published in The Southern Journal of Philosophy prior to the book's release.^[12]: 380 A review published in Ecology Law Quarterly argued that "although it has little new thought or information, Philosophy and Environmental Crisis provides an understanding of the conceptual dimensions of the environmental crisis".^[11]: 225

In 1972, Blackstone and Robert H. Ayers edited a series of papers titled Religious Language and Knowledge, the essays being the outcome of the University of Georgia's 1965 "Great Thinkers Forum".^[13]: 202 Writing in Review of Religious Research, Tracy R. Gran criticized the book for "seem[ing] more dogmatic and logological than analytic" and failing to "establish a frame of reference for the critical analysis of religious language and knowledge".^[13]: 203 Thomas McPherson also criticized the book, noting the lack of explanation over the seven-year publication delay and arguing that "most of the material deals with rather familiar themes in a not markedly new way".^[14]: 95

Blackstone served on the editorial boards of many journals, including:

• The Philosopher's Index (1967)^{[15][3]: 142}
• Journal of Social Philosophy^[3]: 142
• The Southern Journal of Philosophy^[3]: 142
• Social Theory and Practice^[3]: 142
• Environmental Ethics (served on the Editorial Advisory Board during its preparatory period)^[16]

Blackstone held posts in the following professional groups:

• American Philosophical Association Eastern Division (Vice President, 1960–61)^[1]: 240
• Georgia Philosophical Society (President, 1966–7)^[3]: 142
• Southeastern Philosophy of Education Society (President, 1968–9)^[3]: 142
• Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology (Secretary/Treasurer, 1969–72; President, 1974–5)^[2]: 369
• American Society for Value Inquiry (Secretary/Treasurer, 1972–5; President, 1975–6)^[2]: 369

From 1973 until 1976, he served on the Executive Committee of the American Philosophical Association.^[3]: 142 He served on its Committee on Defense of Professional Rights.^[2]: 369 He was also a member of the American section of the International Association for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy.^[3]: 143

Blackstone's early writing focused on religious knowledge and religious language, as well as normative ethics and metaethics.^[3]: 142 His later works concerned the real-life application of theories of justice and equality.^[3]: 142

According to Gene G. James, Blackstone's believed that

philosophy differs from the sciences because it deals with the conceptual and normative problems which cannot be solved by scientific methods, and because it treats the assumptions of the sciences as themselves problematic. However, like science, it has as one of its ultimate goals, truth about human beings, society, and the world. Blackstone thus rejects the view of philosophy as consisting of conceptual analysis alone.^[17]: 145

James argues that Blackstone's work "is both an expression of, and an attempt to extend, human freedom".^[17]: 162

Blackstone rejected both utilitarian and Kantian ethics, saying:

It seems to me that an adequate ethic must include a number of moral principles—utility, justice or fairness, and benevolence—and it must be recognized that on some occasions these principles simply conflict.^[17]: 153

According to Gene G. James, Blackstone believed the best ethical theories are those which "further the growth and development of humans as rational, social beings".^[17]: 154

Blackstone rejected the idea that humans have a fixed nature, believing that "the attempt to provide an ontological foundation for a certain concept of human nature via the notion of essence is a surreptitious or disguised moral judgment".^[17]: 157 Gene G. James argues that he sees choice and the possibility of growth as integral to human existence: "he believes that man to a great extent makes himself".^[17]: 157 James compares these ideas to those of John Dewey, who also noted the importance of growth and freedom.^[17]: 158

Blackstone believed that people must live in a democracy if they are to reach the "fullest sense of freedom".^[17]: 152

Blackstone was married to Jean, with whom he had children named Lisa and Jeff.^[3]: 141 He died of cancer on November 14, 1977.^[3]: 141

Blackstone continued playing tennis after college and was a "formidable competitor", finding success in amateur competition.^[16]