Dewi Zephaniah Phillips (24 November 1934 - 25 July 2006), known as DZ Phillips, enjoyed a long and distinguished academic career spanning four decades at Swansea University. He died of a heart attack in the university's library on the 25th of July, 2006. November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

From 1993 until the time of his death, he held the Danforth Chair in Philosophy of Religion at Claremont Graduate University, California. He was also Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Wales, Swansea, where he was Director of the Rush Rhees Archives. He was editor of the journal Philosophical Investigations, as well as the Claremont Studies in the Philosophy of Religion and Wittgensteinian Studies series. Philosophy of religion is the rational study of the meaning and justification of fundamental religious claims, particularly about the nature and existence of God (or gods, or the divine). ... {{Infobox_University |name = Claremont Graduate University |image = [[Image:]] |motto = |established = 1925 |type = Private |president = |city = Claremont |state = [[California |country = USA |grad = 2,033 |campus = Urban, 19 acres/ ha |mascot = |website= www. ... A professor giving a lecture The meaning of the word professor (Latin: one who claims publicly to be an expert) varies. ... Emeritus (IPA pronunciation: or ) is an adjective that is used in the title of a retired professor, bishop or other professional. ... Philosopher in Meditation (detail), by Rembrandt. ... The University of Wales, Swansea was founded in 1920 as University College, Swansea, the fourth college of the University of Wales, following the report of the Haldane Commission into University Education in Wales. ... Philosophical Investigations (Philosophische Untersuchungen), along with the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, is one of the two major works by Ludwig Wittgenstein. ...

He was born in Morriston, Glamorgan, and studied at University College, Swansea (1952-58) and the University of Oxford (St Catherine’s Society) (1958-61). From 1959 until 1961, he was Minister of Fabian Bay Congregational Church, Swansea.

He began his academic career at Queen’s College, Dundee, in 1961, before joining the University College of North Wales, Bangor, in 1963, until 1965.

Professor Phillips took up the post of Lecturer at Swansea University in 1965, in the Department of Philosophy and became a Professor of Philosophy in 1971. In 1982, he became Dean of the Faculty of Arts, until 1985, and he was Vice-Principal from 1989 until 1992.

In 1996 he became the Rush Rhees Professor Emeritus in the Department of Philosophy. He held the position of Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, based within the School of Humanities, until his death.

Professor Phillips held the Danforth Chair in Philosophy of Religion at Claremont Graduate University, California, and the endowed lectures he gave during his academic career include the Cardinal Mercier Lectures (Leuven), Marett Lecture (Oxford), Riddell Lectures (Newcastle), McMartin Lectures (Carleton University, in Ottawa), Hintz Lecture (Tucson), and the Aquinas Lecture (Oxford), and Vonhoff Lectures (Groningen).

His research interests included the philosophy of religion, ethics, philosophy and literature, and Wittgenstein.

He was the Director of the Rush Rhees and Peter Winch Archives, and editor of the journal Philosophical Investigations (Blackwells) and the Swansea Series in Philosophy (Palgrave).

Professor Emeritus Dewi Zephaniah Phillips leaves a wife, Monica, and three children – Steffan, Rhys, and Aled, who is a member of the Administrative Computing Unit in the University’s Administration.

Published works

D. Z. Phillips was perhaps best known for his publications in Philosophy of Religion, but he has also published articles in ethics, philosophy and literature, and Wittgenstein. Some books authored by D.Z Phillips include: Philosophy of religion is the rational study of the meaning and justification of fundamental religious claims, particularly about the nature and existence of God (or gods, or the divine). ... Ethics (from Greek ἦθος meaning custom) is the branch of axiology, one of the four major branches of philosophy, which attempts to understand the nature of morality; to distinguish that which is right from that which is wrong. ... Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951), pictured here in 1930, made influential contributions to Logic and the philosophy of language, critically examining the task of conventional philosophy and its relation to the nature of language. ...

• The Concept of Prayer
• Moral Practices
• Faith and Philosophical Enquiry
• Death and Immortality
• Sense and Delusion
• Athronyddu Am Grefydd
• Religion without Explanation
• Dramâu Gwenlyn Parry
• Through a Darkening Glass
• Belief, Change and Forms of Life
• R.S. Thomas: Poet of the Hidden God
• Faith after Foundationalism
• From Fantasy to Faith
• Interventions in Ethics
• Wittgenstein and Religion
• Introducing Philosophy: The Challenge of Scepticism
• Philosophy's Cool Place
• Recovering Religious Concepts
• Religion and Friendly Fire
• The Problem of Evil and the Problem of God
• Religion and the Hermeneutics of Contemplation
• Wittgensteinian Fideism? (Co-written with Kai Nielsen)

References

http://www.swan.ac.uk/philosophy/D_Z_Phillips.htm