The publication of the four-volume Diccionario de filosofía in 1941 marked the beginning of a prolific intellectual career for the Barcelona-born thinker. Throughout a life defined by migration and academic rigour, he produced over 35 books, establishing himself as a significant figure in 20th-century philosophy through his unique integrationist methodology and his expansive approach to ontological study.
Early Life and Exile
Born in 1912, he completed his initial studies at Santa Maria del Collell before attending the University of Barcelona, where he earned a BA in 1932 and a BPhil in 1936. During the Spanish Civil War, he served as an intelligence clerk in the Republican Army. Following the conflict, he left Spain in 1939, spending time in Paris, Havana, and Santiago before eventually moving to the United States.
Academic Career in the United States
Initially based in New York City, he accepted a position at Bryn Mawr College in 1949. He taught philosophy and Spanish literature there for over three decades until his retirement in 1981. During this period, he married his former doctoral student, Priscilla Cohn.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Integrationism and Ontology
His primary philosophical contribution was the development of integrationism, a method designed to reconcile opposing systems of thought by treating them as complementary directions rather than absolute entities. His ontological framework, which he termed monism sui generis, functioned as an emergentism. This theory posited that matter progresses through a continuum of complex structures, evolving from physical to biological, social, and cultural levels without inherent breaks.
Ethical Advocacy and Later Works
He was a pioneer in introducing applied ethics to the Spanish-speaking world, with a specific focus on the moral status of non-human animals. He argued that the distinction between humans and animals was a matter of degree rather than kind. In his later years, he received several honours, including the Saint George's Cross and the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise in 1984, and the Princess of Asturias Award for Communications and Humanities in 1985.
Archival Legacy
In January 1991, he initiated the donation of his personal library to the University of Girona. The archive contains over 7,000 books, journal titles, and extensive correspondence with intellectuals and politicians including Xavier Benguerel and Josep Trueta. He died on 30 January 1991 while visiting Barcelona. His influence persists through the Ferrater Mora Chair in Contemporary Thought and the Ferrater Mora Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics.
Fast facts
- Born: 1912, Barcelona, Spain
- Died: 30 January 1991, Barcelona, Spain
- Educated: University of Barcelona
- Primary Employers: Bryn Mawr College, University of Barcelona
- Key Philosophical Method: Integrationism
- Notable Recognition: Princess of Asturias Award for Communications and Humanities (1985)
- Languages: Spanish, Catalan
- Total books authored: Over 35
Questions readers ask
What is the core of his integrationist philosophy?
It is a method that seeks to combine opposite concepts by treating them as complementary trends or directions of reality rather than fixed, contradictory states.
What was his position on animal rights?
He was an early advocate for animal rights, maintaining that humans and non-human animals exist on a moral continuum where differences are based on degree, not kind.
Achievements
- Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise — 1984
- Held posts at University of Barcelona and Bryn Mawr College
