Hywel David Lewis

Professor of the History and Philosophy of Religion, University of London

(1) The Elusive Mind (2) The Elusive Self (3) Freedom and Alienation

In his series of lectures, Lewis presents a methodical defence of traditional dualism against its contemporary opponents. He argues that there is no objective account for the identity of the self, describing human beings as a complex integration of mental and physical states. As dualism is primarily based on experience, he uses the example of pain itself having no observable character. Lewis concludes by exploring the implications of his dualist conception on morality, personal relationships, and religion.

Biography

Hywel David Lewis was born on 21 May 1910 in Llandudno, Wales. A theologian and philosopher, he is best known for his defence of dualism and his views on the awareness of the divine as a basic intuition. Professor of Philosophy at Bangor University in 1947, he was appointed Professor of the History of the Philosophy of Religion at the University of London in 1955, retiring in 1977. His editorship of the Muirhead Library of Philosophy from 1947 to 1979 provided him with opportunity to combat the ‘narrowness’ of analytic philosophy.

Awarded honorary degrees from the University of St Andrews, the University of Emery, and Geneva Theological College, he was President of the Mind Association in 1948, the Aristotelian Society in 1962, and Chairman of the Council of the Royal Institute of Philosophy in 1965. He was Editor of Religious Studies from 1964 until 1979. Notable works include Morals and the New Theology (1947), Morals and Revelation (1951), Our Experience of God (1959), The Self and Immortality (1973), Persons and Life after Death (1978). He also published in Welsh.

Published/Archival Resources

Published as The Elusive Mind, The Elusive Self, Freedom and Alienation.