Comments on: Robert Wokler is dead http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/04/robert-wokler-is-dead/ Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:01:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: lee tabin http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/04/robert-wokler-is-dead/comment-page-1/#comment-167826 lee tabin Wed, 09 Aug 2006 00:31:18 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/04/robert-wokler-is-dead/#comment-167826 I was Robbie's college roomie for our first two years at the U of Chicago and I will never forget one incident. We were first year students and I was reading in one of the study rooms in the basement of the dorm. Robbie came down, and with eyes shining with delight told me he had read The Social Contract. He was a sincere and honest and great scholar who was always respectful of other views (at least mine) and who valued the canon immensely unlike many contemporary academics. Lee Tabin I was Robbie’s college roomie for our first two years at the U of Chicago and I will never forget one incident. We were first year students and I was reading in one of the study rooms in the basement of the dorm.

Robbie came down, and with eyes shining with delight told me he had read The Social Contract.

He was a sincere and honest and great scholar who was always respectful of other views (at least mine) and who valued the canon immensely unlike many contemporary academics.

Lee Tabin

]]> By: MM http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/04/robert-wokler-is-dead/comment-page-1/#comment-167581 MM Sun, 06 Aug 2006 14:57:11 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/04/robert-wokler-is-dead/#comment-167581 ... I was able to visit Robert the day before he went into hospice, and was given a brief tour of his life's book collection, which was already being sorted into boxes for donations to various libraries. It was an odd feeling. The dear man will be so very missed. I hope that we might all adequately brag about him to our children or future students. … I was able to visit Robert the day before he went into hospice, and was given a brief tour of his life’s book collection, which was already being sorted into boxes for donations to various libraries. It was an odd feeling. The dear man will be so very missed. I hope that we might all adequately brag about him to our children or future students.

]]> By: josh http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/04/robert-wokler-is-dead/comment-page-1/#comment-167449 josh Fri, 04 Aug 2006 21:14:18 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/04/robert-wokler-is-dead/#comment-167449 'Wow, that’s some pedigree.' And that's not even mentioning that as an undergraduate he studied with Leo Strauss at Chicago This didn't seem to leave much of a trace on his work, but did redirect him from the violin to the history of political thought -- so that's at least one good thing Strauss did! ‘Wow, that’s some pedigree.’
And that’s not even mentioning that as an undergraduate he studied with Leo Strauss at Chicago This didn’t seem to leave much of a trace on his work, but did redirect him from the violin to the history of political thought—so that’s at least one good thing Strauss did!

]]> By: Ben http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/04/robert-wokler-is-dead/comment-page-1/#comment-167443 Ben Fri, 04 Aug 2006 20:21:44 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/04/robert-wokler-is-dead/#comment-167443 "<i>[he studied] the MSc in the history of political thought at the LSE run by Michael Oakeshott and Maurice Cranston, before moving to Oxford, where his DPhil supervisor was Isaiah Berlin, and his college adviser John Plamenatz.</i>" Wow, that's some pedigree. A sad loss at a not very old age. I hope more of his work can be published posthumously. In particular, I'm interested to learn his was turning his attention to ancient thought. “[he studied] the MSc in the history of political thought at the LSE run by Michael Oakeshott and Maurice Cranston, before moving to Oxford, where his DPhil supervisor was Isaiah Berlin, and his college adviser John Plamenatz.”

Wow, that’s some pedigree.

A sad loss at a not very old age. I hope more of his work can be published posthumously. In particular, I’m interested to learn his was turning his attention to ancient thought.

]]> By: jayann http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/04/robert-wokler-is-dead/comment-page-1/#comment-167431 jayann Fri, 04 Aug 2006 18:41:58 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/04/robert-wokler-is-dead/#comment-167431 I am sorry to hear this. <i>It is an indictment of the university system that a scholar of his calibre never held a chair</i> you know, that's right. I am sorry to hear this.

It is an indictment of the university system that a scholar of his calibre never held a chair

you know, that’s right.

]]> By: josh http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/04/robert-wokler-is-dead/comment-page-1/#comment-167430 josh Fri, 04 Aug 2006 18:40:38 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/04/robert-wokler-is-dead/#comment-167430 It is very sad. And thanks for the nice reminiscences, Chris; it does capture something of the man, and a great deal of his work. And there is quite a bit of material that Robbie left, though much of it is, alas, in a very unfinished state -- stuff not just about Rousseau, but also Plamenatz, Berlin, Hobbes, the idea of the invisible hand before Adam Smith, Ancient and Medieval political thought ... We'll have to see how much of it turns out to be publishable. It is very sad. And thanks for the nice reminiscences, Chris; it does capture something of the man, and a great deal of his work.
And there is quite a bit of material that Robbie left, though much of it is, alas, in a very unfinished state—stuff not just about Rousseau, but also Plamenatz, Berlin, Hobbes, the idea of the invisible hand before Adam Smith, Ancient and Medieval political thought … We’ll have to see how much of it turns out to be publishable.

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