The Merlan Lecture

The Scripps College graduating class of 1969 established and dedicated the Merlan Lecture to honor the memory of their beloved professor, Philip Merlan. Philip Merlan was a professor at Scripps college for 25 years, during which time he also held visiting positions at Bonn, Columbia, Munich, and Oxford. He is the author of more than 300 hundred papers on topics as diverse as the history of philosophy — particularly ancient, medieval, and early modern philosophy — as well as jurisprudence, and literature. His books, From Platonism to Neoplatonism and Monopsychism, Mysticism, and Metaconsciousness, are classic works of philosophy.

Franciszka Merlan’s name was added to the lectureship in 1983. Franciszka Merlan was committed to her husband’s work. She edited a posthumous eight volume series of his papers. She was also a respected scholar and teacher in her own right, holding positions at Columbia, Krakow, Pomona, and Scripps. Her name was added as a tribute to her contribution to her students, to Philip Merlan’s work, and to Scripps College.

Past Lectures