Lament for a Son

Nicholas Wolterstorff is a prominent American philosopher and theologian. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Calvin College (now Calvin University) in 1953, followed by a Master’s degree and PhD from Harvard University in 1954 and 1957, respectively. His academic career began at Calvin College, where he taught philosophy from 1959 to 1989. He then joined Yale University as the Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology, a position he held until his retirement in 2002.

Wolterstorff’s philosophical work, rooted in Reformed theology, spans epistemology, aesthetics, political philosophy, ethics, and philosophy of religion. Challenging traditional foundationalism, Wolterstorff advocates for a view of knowledge grounded in direct and unquestionable insights into reality. This epistemological stance has far-reaching implications across various philosophical domains. In his work on aesthetics, for instance, Wolterstorff argues for the importance of everyday aesthetic experiences, rejecting the notion that art must be separated from ordinary life to be meaningful.

Wolterstorff is particularly known for his work in developing Reformed epistemology alongside the philosophers Alvin Plantinga and William Alston, arguing for the basic rationality of religious belief without relying on evidentialist arguments (See: Background). His religious background in the Dutch Reformed tradition has also deeply influenced his life and work; he has been an active member of the Christian Reformed Church.