author
De Witt H. (De Witt Henry) Parker
1885–1949
A University of Michigan philosopher who wrote clearly about art, ethics, and metaphysics, he helped bring big philosophical questions to a wider reading public. His books on aesthetics, especially The Principles of Aesthetics and The Analysis of Art, kept him closely connected to the experience of art as well as to theory.
1 Audiobook
The Principles of Aesthetics
by De Witt H. (De Witt Henry) Parker
About the author
Born in 1885, De Witt H. Parker studied at Harvard, earning both his BA and his PhD in philosophy before going on to teach at the University of Michigan. He later became chair of the department, and his career centered on subjects such as metaphysics, aesthetics, and ethics.
Parker is best remembered for writing philosophy in a way that aimed to stay rigorous without losing touch with ordinary experience. Among the works most closely associated with him are The Self and Nature, The Principles of Aesthetics, The Analysis of Art, and Human Values.
He died in 1949. Today he remains of interest to readers who enjoy early twentieth-century philosophy that is serious, accessible, and especially attentive to the meaning of art and value.