Bruce Aune, 1933-2026

In 1966, Bruce Aune, having received tenure at the University of Pittsburgh in one of the leading philosophy departments in the United States, left that department to become Head of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts. He undertook the task of making that department into a distinguished graduate department. It was at the least a daunting task; hence, a bold move on his part. He served as Head from 1966 to 1971, as Acting Head from1975 to 1977, and as a member of the Department until his retirement in 2001.

Building the Department into what it is today is, of course, a project to which many contributed, but it all began and was shaped by the foundations Bruce created. In 1977 members of a distinguished visitation committee concluded their review of the Department as follows:

"Judged by the quality and distinction of its relatively young faculty, it is surely among the top

eight or nine departments of philosophy in the country. Judged by the effectiveness of its

graduate program it is at least among the top five, and may possibly be the very best."

At the University of Massachusetts, Bruce's teaching, like at his preceding appointments at Oberlin and Pittsburgh, was marked by care and depth, which have been appreciated by his students. He was successful at the undergraduate level as well as the graduate. At the graduate level his seminars deeply influenced a significant number of graduate students in the choice of dissertation topic. He served on numerous dissertation committees, some as a member and some as chair.

Bruce was an analytic philosopher, as his published work makes clear. As such, his scholarly career was uncommon in its reach, given Bruce's commitment to originality, detailed analysis, and full argumentation, as well as respect for heeding the best work of others in all of his published work. He made significant contributions in epistemology, including such central issues as our knowledge of the external world, our knowledge of other minds, and foundationalism; and in metaphysics--including the philosophy of mind and action--, and the problem of universals, as well as in the history of ethics.

In each of these areas Bruce published well known and highly respected articles, and, in each, at least one book--in metaphysics, "Metaphysics: The Elements," and "Reason and Action"; in moral philosophy, "Kant's Theory of Morals". In epistemology he published a series of books constituting the most complete defense of empiricism currently available: "Knowledge, Mind, and Nature", "Knowledge of the External World", and "An Empiricist Theory of Knowledge." In addition, there is a short, straightforward summary of ideas he reached in retirement in defense of empiricism in his memoir, "My Life in Philosophy: A Memoir." The memoir is an absorbing and delightful account not only of his life in philosophy, but also of much of his life outside of it and how the latter related to the former. Here is an example. Recall Bruce's move from a tenured position at the University of Pittsburgh to the University of Massachusetts in order to build a program reflecting his ideas on the make up and character of a first rate philosophy department. An unusual move early in a career. But the memoir tells of a similar surprising move that occurred in his youth.

He arrived at the University of Minnesota, a highly recruited breaststroke swimmer, placing first in the breastroke and individual medley in the Minnesota High School Championships and less than half a second over the national high school record for the breaststroke. After a year at the University of Minnesota he retired from competitive swimming. Why? In part because he wanted to spend more of his time on philosophy and literature, but also because he had original ideas about how best to do the

then evolving breaststroke--ideas that differed from those of his coaches. His ideas concerning the kick were quite close to the kick that became standard in the butterfly stroke.

Bruce's career led to numerous invitations to visit elsewhere and numerous honors. Among the philosophy departments he has visited while at the University of Massachusetts are all of the other Five Colleges in the Amherst area, the University of California at Irvine and at Riverside, Union College, and Dartmouth College. Among the honors he received is a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, awarded when he was a pre-tenure assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh. It is unusual for the Guggenheim Foundation to bestow its prestigious fellowship on someone so early in a career. Other honors include a fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, a Fulbright Lectureship at LaTrobe University, Australia, and the Chancellors Medal at the University of Massachusetts "for exemplary and extraordinary service to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst."

Bruce and his high school girl friend, Ilene Carlson, each entered the University of Minnesota directly after high school and graduated subsequently in 1955. Bruce immediately commenced his graduate studies in philosophy which he completed at Minnesota with one intervening year at UCLA devoted primarily to the study of logic. His Ph.D dissertation was written under the direction of Herbert Feigl. Bruce and Ilene raised three lovely daughters in Amherst. Their home was a center of the Philosophy Department's social life. They befriended numerous philosophy graduate students and young philosophy faculty members. Sadly, Ilene died nearly forty years after their marriage. Subsequently Bruce remarried. Bruce and Anne Aune had much in common. Each was a teacher; she, of French, Bruce, of philosophy. They shared a strong interest in gardening, which led to each earning the title of Master Gardner. So they not only were talented at growing things, but also at teaching others to do the same.

Bruce will be missed by his students, colleagues, family and friends.