What do you think?
Rate this book
A Life in Oxford
Readers of Anthony Kenny's earlier memoir A Path from Rome will recall the remarkable story of his training for Roman Catholic Orders, his loss of faith in the Church, and the painful transition from priest to philosophy don.
That memoir became widely known, not least because it described a path to laicization - lonely then - which later became a high road. Yet it was in its author's eyes the story of a failure, after which it seemed that happiness would never again be possible. This sequel is a story both of success and of unexpectedly profound contentment. In it Anthony Kenny, now agnostic, brings to marriage, philosophy and academic life the penetrating intelligence and integrity of conscience demanded by his earlier life.
As Fellow and later Master of Balliol, we see him coping with the student uprisings of the 1960s, taking on the government over funding and permits (and making full use of Balliol alumni on all sides), leading undergraduate reading parties to the spartan chalet in the Swiss Alps bequeathed by Sligger Urquhart, writing on an immense range of subjects from the statistical measurement of style to the Anglo-Irish agreement of 1985, and travelling to lend moral and practical support to philosophers in trouble in Prague and Yugoslavia.
We also observe from the ringside the notorious debate over Mrs Thatcher's honorary degree and its subsequent fallout, and the battle over the election of a new Chancellor to succeed Harold Macmillan. Finally, Anthony Kenny leaves his beloved Balliol, honouring a promise he had made to himself to hold the Mastership no longer than twelve years.
Since leaving Balliol, Sir Anthony Kenny has gone on to become Warden of Rhodes House, President of the British Academy and Chairman of the Board of the British Library.
That memoir became widely known, not least because it described a path to laicization - lonely then - which later became a high road. Yet it was in its author's eyes the story of a failure, after which it seemed that happiness would never again be possible. This sequel is a story both of success and of unexpectedly profound contentment. In it Anthony Kenny, now agnostic, brings to marriage, philosophy and academic life the penetrating intelligence and integrity of conscience demanded by his earlier life.
As Fellow and later Master of Balliol, we see him coping with the student uprisings of the 1960s, taking on the government over funding and permits (and making full use of Balliol alumni on all sides), leading undergraduate reading parties to the spartan chalet in the Swiss Alps bequeathed by Sligger Urquhart, writing on an immense range of subjects from the statistical measurement of style to the Anglo-Irish agreement of 1985, and travelling to lend moral and practical support to philosophers in trouble in Prague and Yugoslavia.
We also observe from the ringside the notorious debate over Mrs Thatcher's honorary degree and its subsequent fallout, and the battle over the election of a new Chancellor to succeed Harold Macmillan. Finally, Anthony Kenny leaves his beloved Balliol, honouring a promise he had made to himself to hold the Mastership no longer than twelve years.
Since leaving Balliol, Sir Anthony Kenny has gone on to become Warden of Rhodes House, President of the British Academy and Chairman of the Board of the British Library.
Hardcover
First published May 15, 1997
6 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Kenny
180 books115 followersSir Anthony Kenny is an English philosopher whose interests lie in the philosophy of mind, ancient and scholastic philosophy, the philosophy of Wittgenstein, and the philosophy of religion.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 25, 2023
I was at Balliol from 1975 to 1979. As one of the grammar school boys tempted by the revolutionary ideals of the Master when I came up, the Marxist historian Christopher Hill, I didn’t know much about Anthony Kenny who took over as Master in 1978, especially as I studied Chemistry (although not very diligently, to be honest).
Reading this book over 25 years since it was first published has been a revelation. I had no idea that Dr. Kenny was such a polymath but a polymath with becoming modesty.
While I am an atheist rather than an agnostic I found the passages dealing with his own journey towards a rather rueful agnosticism interesting and well-argued even if a little too delicately nuanced for a realist like me.
The discussions of both internal and external politics were also of great interest, although some of the analysis of the infantile leftists who were prominent in JCR politics in the 70’s did make me squirm as I recognised some of my own behaviour.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book which hitherto has sat neglected on my shelves.
Reading this book over 25 years since it was first published has been a revelation. I had no idea that Dr. Kenny was such a polymath but a polymath with becoming modesty.
While I am an atheist rather than an agnostic I found the passages dealing with his own journey towards a rather rueful agnosticism interesting and well-argued even if a little too delicately nuanced for a realist like me.
The discussions of both internal and external politics were also of great interest, although some of the analysis of the infantile leftists who were prominent in JCR politics in the 70’s did make me squirm as I recognised some of my own behaviour.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book which hitherto has sat neglected on my shelves.
Displaying 1 of 1 review