W. B. Gallie


Walter Bryce Gallie was a Scottish social theorist, political theorist, and philosopher.

Life

Early life

Gallie was born in Lenzie, East Dunbartonshire, near Glasgow, the son of an engineer. He grew up in a British boarding school and later published his memoirs of this in the book An English School.

Military career

He served in the British Army from 1940 to 1945, leaving the service with the rank of Major. He was awarded the Croix de guerre.

Academic career

Gallie married Menna Patricia Humphreys in 1940. They had a son and a daughter.
He died in Cardigan, Ceredigion, on 31 August 1998:

Thought

Essentially contested concepts

His paper on 'Essentially contested concepts' is a seminal statement in the philosophy of the social sciences. In it, Gallie argued that it is impossible to conclusively define key appraisive concepts such as 'social justice,' 'democracy,' 'Christian life', 'art', 'moral goodness' and 'duty', although it is possible and rational to discuss one's justifications for holding one interpretation over competing ones. Clarification of such concepts involves not the examination of predictive relations, but rather, consideration of how the concept has been used by different parties throughout its history.

Works