Editing Arthur Prior (section)

==Biography==
Prior was born in [[Masterton]], [[New Zealand]], on 4 December 1914, the only child of Australian-born parents: Norman Henry Prior (1882–1967) and his wife born Elizabeth Munton Rothesay Teague (1889–1914). His mother died less than three weeks after his birth and he was cared for by his father's sister. His father, a medical practitioner in general practice, after war service at [[Gallipoli]] and in France{{mdash}}where he was awarded the [[Military Cross]]{{mdash}}remarried in 1920. There were three more children: Elaine, the epidemiologist [[Ian Prior (doctor)|Ian Prior]], and Owen. Arthur Prior grew up in a prominent [[Methodist]] household. His two Wesleyan grandfathers, the Reverends Samuel Fowler Prior and Hugh Henwood Teague, were sent from [[England]] to [[South Australia]] as missionaries in 1875.<ref>''Adelaide Observer'', 28 August 1875, p. 7.</ref> The Prior family first moved to New Zealand in 1893.

As the son of a doctor, Prior at first considered becoming a biologist, but ended up focusing on theology and philosophy, graduating from the [[University of Otago]] in 1935 with a B.A. in philosophy. While studying for his B.A., Prior attended the seminary at Dunedin's [[Knox College, Otago|Knox Theological Hall]] but decided against entering the [[Presbyterian]] ministry. John Findlay, Professor of Philosophy at Otago, first opened up the study of [[logic]] for Prior.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/prior/ |title=Arthur Prior |last=Copeland |first=B. Jack |editor-last=Zalta |editor-first=Edward N. |editor-last2=Nodelman |editor-first2=Uri |publisher=[[The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy]] (Winter 2022 Edition) |access-date=16 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306152510/https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/prior/ |archive-date=6 March 2023 }}</ref> In 1936, Prior married Clare Hunter, a freelance journalist, and they spent several years in Europe, during which they tried to earn a living as writers. Daunted by the prospect of an invasion of Britain, he and Clare returned to New Zealand in 1940.<ref name="SEP" />
At this point in his life he was a devout Presbyterian, though he became an [[Atheism|atheist]] later in life.<ref>{{Citation|last=Copeland|first=B. Jack|title=Arthur Prior|date=2020|url=https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2020/entries/prior/|encyclopedia=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy|editor-last=Zalta|editor-first=Edward N.|edition=Spring 2020|publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University|access-date=2021-03-10 |quote = He was, at this stage of his life, obsessed with religion. He believed in the virgin birth and the voice of the devil, and was a devout Presbyterian (Prior 1940)...In later life, however, he described himself as having ‘no religious beliefs’ (Prior c.1967). In 1961, when Max Cresswell—then a logic student aged 21—met him for the first time, in Manchester, Prior announced: ‘Mr Cresswell, isn’t it a pity that God does not exist’.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last= Cohen |first= L.J.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/61151356|title=Encyclopedia of philosophy|date=2006|publisher=Thomson Gale/Macmillan Reference USA|others=Donald M. Borchert|isbn=0-02-865780-2|edition=2nd|location=Detroit|oclc=61151356 |quote= He was influenced for several years by the theologian Arthur Miller, who combined a strict adherence to Presbyterian doctrine with an equally strong support for socialism and opposition to nationalism. But Prior's pacifism weakened, and he served from 1942 to 1945 in the New Zealand air force.  And the central focus of his interests gradually shifted - helped by an occasional bout of atheism - from theology to ethics and logic.}}</ref>

After divorce from his first wife, he remarried in 1943 to Mary Wilkinson, with whom he would have two children. He served in the [[Royal New Zealand Air Force]] from 1943 to 1945 as a radio mechanic. Arthur and Mary kept their correspondence from the war and it is now a part of the Ann Prior Collection at the Bodleian Library. The correspondence is known as the Wartime letters, span more than several thousand pages and contain much important information about the development of Prior's view on several philosophical and theological matters. Transcription of the letters are published at the [http://virtuallab.prior.aau.dk Arthur Prior Digital Archive]. 
After the war Prior embarking on an academic career at [[Canterbury University College]] in February 1946. His first position was a lectureship which had become available when [[Karl Popper]] left the university.<ref name=PH>Per Hasle [https://priorstudies.org ''The Life of Prior (1914-69)'']. A Brief Overview, accessed 8 June 2019</ref>

After returning to New Zealand following a year at [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] as a visiting lecturer he took up a professorship in 1959 at [[Manchester University]] where he remained until he was elected a [[Fellow#In ancient universities|Fellow]] of [[Balliol College, Oxford]] in 1966 and appointed a [[Reader (academic rank)|Reader]]. He continued his Manchester practice of accepting visiting professorships.<ref name=PH/>

Arthur Prior went to give lectures at Norwegian universities in September 1969 and on 6 October 1969, the night before he was to deliver a lecture there, he died from a heart attack at [[Trondheim, Norway]].<ref name=PH/>