Durant Drake

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, on December 18, 1878, Durant Drake studied at Harvard and went on to become a professor of philosophy at Vassar College. He died in 1933 at age fifty-five after eighteen years of service to the college.

Drake wrote on ethics, religion, and philosophical realism, and he is especially remembered for Invitation to Philosophy, published in 1933. His work had a teaching spirit behind it: he tried to open philosophy to general readers rather than keep it shut inside academic debate.

Though not a household name today, he belonged to the generation of American thinkers who wanted philosophy to speak clearly to modern life. That makes his writing a good fit for listeners who enjoy thoughtful books that are serious without being distant.