I just received a really sad email. William Alston passed away earlier today.
I didn’t know Alston very well, but I’m still a bit shook up. This is the first time a philosophical hero of mine has passed away at a time when I’ve been active long enough in philosophy to fully appreciate their excellence.
Roderick Chisholm passed away when I was still an undergraduate student. David Lewis passed away just before I started graduate school. They are now philosophical heroes of mine, but I was too green to really appreciate what incredible philosophers they were at the time of their passing.
Alston is a different story. His philosophy shaped my thinking while he was still alive and active, and I made a point to go see him at conferences. He was a joy to watch, and his work still shapes my teaching and writing. I almost always cover him when I teach Philosophy of Religion and Epistemology, and several of my main current writing projects are largely inspired by Alston.
The philosophical community has just lost an exceptional member.
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