Riddles of the Sphinx, published in 1891, marked a pivotal debut for its author, though the work initially appeared under a pseudonym due to concerns regarding potential professional backlash. This text served as the foundational effort by Ferdinand Canning Scott Schiller to bridge the chasm between speculative metaphysical traditions and the rising trend of naturalism.
Academic Trajectory
Born in 1864 in Ottensen, Schiller spent his formative years in Rugby and attended Rugby School before continuing his education at Balliol College, Oxford. After graduating with first-class honours in Literae Humaniores and winning the 1887 Taylorian scholarship for German, he began an international academic career. He served as an instructor in philosophy at Cornell University between 1893 and 1897 before returning to Oxford to serve as a fellow and tutor at Corpus Christi for over three decades.
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Schiller advanced a philosophical position he termed humanism, which sought to reconcile the higher aspects of human experience—such as purpose, consciousness, and freewill—with the practical, lower-level realities of physical existence. He utilized essays like 1903's Axioms as Postulates to argue that various logical and physical assumptions, including causality and the uniformity of nature, are accepted as pragmatic necessities rather than unassailable truths.
Critique of Formalism
Later in his career, Schiller directed his efforts against formal logic and the rigidity of symbolic systems. He maintained that logical inferences cannot be evaluated through form alone, citing the example of salt solubility to illustrate that validity depends upon the specific contextual purpose of the inquiry. He also scrutinized the application of mathematical truths, noting that equations such as one plus one equaling two fail to account for physical variables like drops of water.
Final Years and Contributions
Beyond his purely philosophical inquiries, Schiller published three volumes focused on eugenics, including Tantalus or the Future of Man and Social Decay and Eugenic Reform. His professional standing included serving as president of the Aristotelian Society in 1921, treasurer of the Mind Association, and election as a fellow of the British Academy in 1926. In 1929, he accepted a visiting professorship at the University of Southern California, splitting his time between England and the United States until his death in Los Angeles in 1937.
Fast facts
- Born: 1864, Ottensen
- Died: 1937, Los Angeles
- Education: University of Oxford
- Citizenship: United Kingdom
- Key Publication: Riddles of the Sphinx (1891)
- Professional Role: President of the Aristotelian Society (1921)
- Academic Home: Corpus Christi, Oxford
- Late Career: University of Southern California
Questions readers ask
What core argument did Schiller pose regarding naturalism?
He contended that naturalism failed to explain significant human experiences like consciousness and purpose while ignoring the necessity of metaphysics in justifying descriptions of the world.
Why did Schiller challenge formal logic?
He argued that logical inferences depend on the specific context and purpose of an argument rather than relying exclusively on formal characteristics.
Achievements
- Held posts at University of Southern California
