Stephan Körner moved from a legal education at Charles University to a defining career in British philosophy, driven by the necessity of his status as a refugee from occupied Czechoslovakia. Arriving in the United Kingdom in 1939, he built an extensive academic reputation that spanned from the University of Bristol to Yale.
Early Life and Exile
Born in 1913 in Moravská Ostrava, Körner initially studied law, completing his degree in 1935. Following the German occupation of his home country in 1939, he fled to the United Kingdom, eventually joining the émigré Czechoslovak army. During the Second World War, he served in the infantry, participating in the military efforts in France.
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After the war, Körner pursued academic philosophy at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he studied under R. B. Braithwaite and Ludwig Wittgenstein, earning his PhD in 1944. He joined the University of Bristol in 1947, where he served as a professor and department chair from 1952 until 1979. His institutional leadership included roles as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Pro-Vice-Chancellor.
Contributions to Philosophy
Körner specialised in the study of concepts and the philosophy of mathematics. His 1955 work, Kant, served to reintroduce Immanuel Kant to the English-speaking world. His book Conceptual Thinking examined the distinction between exact and inexact concepts. Furthermore, he held various editorial roles, including work on the journal Ratio and the board of Erkenntnis.
International Career and Recognition
Beyond his tenure at Bristol, he held visiting professorships at several institutions, including Brown University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Indiana University. He served as a tenured visiting professor at Yale from 1970 to 1984. His contributions were recognised through his election as a Fellow of the British Academy and honorary doctorates from the University of Graz and Queen's University Belfast.
Fast facts
- Born: 1913, Moravská Ostrava
- Died: 2000, Bristol
- Citizenship: United Kingdom, Czechoslovakia
- Fields: Philosophy, philosophy of mathematics
- Education: Trinity Hall, Charles University
- Major Employer: University of Bristol
- Honours: Fellow of the British Academy
Questions readers ask
What subjects did Stephan Körner specialise in?
He focused on the philosophy of mathematics, the study of concepts, and the works of Immanuel Kant.
Where did he hold academic professorships?
He was a long-term professor at the University of Bristol and also held a tenured visiting professorship at Yale University.
Achievements
- Fellow of the British Academy
- Held posts at University of Bristol
- Fields: philosophy of mathematics and philosophy
