November 04

Born in 1925 in Paris, Gilles Deleuze became a leading figure in continental philosophy. His seminal works, including "Difference and Repetition" and the two-volume "Capitalism and Schizophrenia" (co-written with Félix Guattari), reshaped metaphysical and political theory. Deleuze developed key concepts such as the rhizome, deterritorialization, and becoming, blending cinema, literature, and philosophy. He taught at Vincennes and the University of Paris VIII, inspiring generations of thinkers across disciplines. His interdisciplinary approach influenced post-structuralism, cultural studies, and art theory. Deleuze’s inventive style and radical ideas continue to spark debate and study worldwide.

Born in 1923 in London, Richard Wollheim became a leading figure in 20th-century philosophy of art and mind. His influential book "Art and Its Objects" (1968) laid foundational ideas in aesthetics, exploring the relationship between art and emotional response. Wollheim also contributed to analytic philosophy, discussing representation, imagination, and the nature of consciousness. He taught at institutions including the London School of Economics and was a founding editor of the British Journal of Aesthetics. His interdisciplinary work bridged psychoanalysis, philosophy, and art history until his death in 2003.

Leonid Stolovich was a Russian-Estonian philosopher and scholar celebrated for his contributions to aesthetic theory and the philosophy of art. Born in 1929, he studied and later taught at the University of Tartu, where he became a leading voice in the humanities. Stolovich authored numerous works exploring the intersection of art, culture, and human perception, advancing the understanding of aesthetic experience in academic circles. His interdisciplinary approach bridged Eastern European and Western philosophical traditions, and he mentored generations of students until his passing in 2013. Stolovich's writings continue to influence contemporary debates in philosophy and art criticism.

René Girard was born in 1923 in Avignon, France, and later moved to the United States where he became a prominent scholar. He developed the groundbreaking theory of mimetic desire, explaining how imitation drives human behavior, and explored the scapegoat mechanism in his works Violence and the Sacred and Things Hidden since the Foundation of the World. Girard taught at institutions such as Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University, influencing fields from anthropology to literary criticism. His interdisciplinary research reshaped understanding of conflict and ritual in human societies. He received numerous awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship, and his ideas continue to inspire debates across the humanities and social sciences.