H. P. Grice (M. A. Lit. Hum., St. John's) and C. K. Grant (P. P. E., Wadham): conversation as rational co-operation

Professor Colin King Grant, 
Professor of Philosophy at the 
University of Durham from 1959, 
died on February 26. He was 
56. 

Born in 1924, be studied at 
Clayesmore School and at Wad- 
ham College, Oxford, where he 
took a First Class in P.P.E. in 
1944. Afrer three years as 
Assistant Lecturer at 'the Uni- 
versity of Glasgow he spent ion 
years as Lecturer ai Nottingham 
Universiry. While at Durham, 
he was Visiting Professor on two 
occasions : once at the Univer- 
sity of_ Maryland and once at 
the University ot Bergen. 

His years at Durham saw the 
building. up of the Department 
of Philosophy to its present size, 
the establishing of Joint 
Honours with other Depart- 
ments, and the making available 
of courses in the Department 10 
undergraduates from all parts 
of rhe University. He served as 
Dean nf the Faculty of Arts for 
two years, and his contributions 
to the Senate of the Universitv 

were characteristic of himself 
and valued by his colleagues. 

Grant .was a starkly and at 
times disconcertingly honest 
man: what he thnughr. he sard, 
and he saw no virtue in saving 


what he did not think. For bin 
compromise with dishonesty wa 
a surrender of values that an 
Universitv was instituted TO dt 
fesd. The compromise might b 
with ideologies that subordinar 
rhe pursuit of truth to politics 
evaluation : or with views 0 
education that make ir an init 
a non into sneial relationship 
rather than a laborious cultiw 
rion of critical intelligence 
these and other forms, whereve 
they were found, were targets 0 
his attack. So was the voeabi 
lary in which they reveale 1 
themselves (a favourite abom 
nation was describing a Univei 
siry as " a community '*). 

His generous, exigent teac/i 
mg. and his practical krndoes 
tn newly-arrived colleagues weri 
not interrupted by the paiflfu 
and partly disabling sciatic 
that he faced for years with hi 
own hlend of courage am 
realism. Last summer he sui 
fered a stroke, but was meodini 
enough to look forward to soit) ( 
lecturing in Easter Term../ 
second stroke in February lo 
to death within a few days 
his family, his University am 
his friends are the poorer foi 
ir. 

He married in 3961 Dr Alisor 
Stoddarr Wallace, by whom bf 
leaves two sons.