Editing C. I. Lewis (section)

==Biography==

Lewis was born in [[Stoneham, Massachusetts]]. His father was a skilled worker in a shoe factory, and Lewis grew up in relatively humble circumstances. He discovered [[philosophy]] at age 13, when reading about the Greek [[Pre-Socratic philosophy|pre-Socratics]], [[Anaxagoras]] and [[Heraclitus]] in particular. The first work of philosophy Lewis recalled studying was ''A Short History of Greek Philosophy'' by [[John Marshall (author)|John Marshall]] (1891). [[Immanuel Kant]] proved a major lifelong influence on Lewis's thinking. In his article "Logic and Pragmatism", Lewis wrote: "Nothing comparable in importance happened [in my life] until I became acquainted with Kant... Kant compelled me. He had, so I felt, followed scepticism to its inevitable last stage, and laid the foundations where they could not be disturbed."<ref>C. I. Lewis, [[iarchive:in.ernet.dli.2015.204349/page/n36/mode/1up|"Logic and Pragmatism"]]. In ''Contemporary American Philosophy'', ed. by G. P. Adams & [[William Pepperell Montague|W. P. Montague]]. New York: Macmillan (1930), Vol. 2, pp. 31–51.</ref>

In 1902, he entered [[Harvard University]].<ref name=A>M. G. Murphey, ''C. I. Lewis: The Last Great Pragmatist'', SUNY Press, 2005, p. 22.</ref> Since his parents were not able to help him financially, he had to work as a waiter to earn his tuition.<ref name=A/> In 1905, [[Harvard College]] awarded Lewis the Bachelor of Arts ''[[Latin honors|cum laude]]'' after a mere three years of study, during which time he supported himself with part-time jobs. He then taught English for one year in a high school in [[Quincy, Massachusetts]], then two years at the [[University of Colorado Boulder|University of Colorado]]. In 1906, he married Mable Maxwell Graves.

In 1908, Lewis returned to Harvard and began a Ph.D. in philosophy, which he completed in a mere two years. He then taught philosophy at the [[University of California, Berkeley|University of California]], 1911–20, after which he returned again to Harvard's [[Harvard University Department of Philosophy|philosophy department]], where he taught until his 1953 retirement, eventually filling the Edgar Pierce Chair of Philosophy. His Harvard course on Kant's first ''Critique'' was among the most famous in undergraduate philosophy in the U.S. until he retired.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}}

Lewis's life was not free of trials. His daughter died in October 1932 and he had a heart attack in 1933.<ref name=IEP/> Nevertheless, the publications of Lewis (1929) and Lewis and Langford (1932) attest to these years having been a highly productive period of his life. During this same period, he was elected to the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]] in 1929,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clarence Irving Lewis |url=https://www.amacad.org/person/clarence-irving-lewis |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=American Academy of Arts & Sciences |date=9 February 2023 |language=en}}</ref> and in 1933, he presided over the [[American Philosophical Association]].<ref name=IEP>[http://www.iep.utm.edu/lewisci/ "Clarence Irving Lewis"]. ''[[Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]]''.</ref> He was elected to the [[American Philosophical Society]] in 1942.<ref>{{Cite web |title=APS Member History |url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=Clarence+I.+Lewis&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=search.amphilsoc.org}}</ref>

Lewis accepted a visiting professorship at Stanford during 1957–58, where he presented his lectures for the last time. For the academic year 1959–60, he was a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies at [[Wesleyan University]].<ref>[http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/schome/FAs/ce1000-137.html wesleyan.edu] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314083709/http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/schome/FAs/ce1000-137.html |date=2017-03-14 }}</ref>