Jesus H. Grice, JL is back! Mike Geary thanking Paul Stone for cursing in Grice instead of yellow. ----- Original Message ----- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Friday, October 12, 2007 11:20 PM Subject: [lit-ideas] No Viva Voce -- Strawson gets a Second Geary writes he wrote an essay on Heidegger on "the holy". >I can't begin to remember what I wrote, but I, >like Paul, got a 'B' with no comment. But unlike Paul, I knew not to >look a gift horse in the mouth. Tom Nenon taught the class Perhaps the most famous "B" in the history of English Oxford philosopher was that given to P. F. Strawson. The tragedy is so well narrated by his tutor, the Scots philosopher Mabbott ("Oxford Memories", Thornton -- reference provided to me by Mrs. Grice, "Not the sort of book Paul would read, though"): "The younger examiner marked Strawson's paper first class, the older marked them middle second class. This of course was the classic case for a long _viva voce_ examination. But in July 1940 the country was expecting invasion. So it was thought wrong to require candidates to travel back to Oxford for oral examinations, So these _viva voces_ were abandoned. Then there was nothing to be done but to average the marks of the two examiners; and inevitably they came out high second class, and Strawson got a Second." (p.109). This taught Strawson a lesson though. In 1968, when he was a candidate for the Chair of Metaphysics, he _took_ it. This was, according to many, the main reason why Strawson's former tutor, H. P. Grice had then to settle in the San Fransisco Bay. Little did he know that Berkeley would soon also be expecting invasion. But that's the story for a longer day. Cheers, J. L. Committee for the Qualification of Honoris Causa Litterateurs, College de France, etc. J. L. Speranza, Esq. Town: Calle Arenales 2021, Piso 5, St. 8, La Recoleta C1124AAE, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Tel. 54 11 4824 4253 Fax 54 221 425 9205 Country: St. Michael Hall, Calle 58, No. 611, La Plata B1900 BPY Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Tel. 54 221 425 7817 Fax 54 221 425 9205 http://www.stmichaels.com.ar jls@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx jlsperanza@xxxxxxx http://www.netverk/~jls.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ See what's new at AOL.com and Make AOL Your Homepage.