He obtained his doctorate in economics from the University of Virginia (1974), but his major work was in the area of intellectual history, where he emphasized the power of philosophical ideas in setting the course of history.
Despite receiving an award by the Ontario Council of University Faculty Associations for outstanding contribution to university teaching,[4] he was nearly terminated in the early 1970s for his radical outspoken views and his obvious contempt for the popular intellectual movements of the late 20th century. However, with support from Nobel laureateFriedrich von Hayek, after a lengthy struggle, he was given tenure and promoted, rather than being fired. Upon his retirement in 2001 he was named professor of the year by the university and honoured with a nomination for Canadian professor of the year.
Ridpath was an acquaintance of Ayn Rand and served on the board of directors of the Ayn Rand Institute from 1994 until his retirement in 2011. He authored a two-part article on Friedrich Nietzsche for The Objectivist Forum, which became the basis of a longer treatment devoted to exposing Nietzsche's irrationalism and brooding fatalism, arguing that Nietzsche at root was not an individualist and that Ayn Rand's pro-reason, pro-volition philosophy is actually the opposite of Nietzsche's.
He was an expert on the history of the founding of the United States and on its Founding Fathers, lecturing at several Objectivist conferences on their achievements. A lifelong admirer of American Revolutionary ideals, he named his firstborn son "Jefferson" after Thomas Jefferson.
In economics, two of his most influential lectures were "Keynes and the Death of Gold," and "The Philosophical Origins of Antitrust," which attacked Frank Knight's notion of "pure and perfect competition." He also regularly gave economics courses at York University, and lectured on Say's Law at a conference in the UK in the 1990s.
He and his wife, Virginia Grant Ridpath, had three children, and he lived in Toronto from 1967 until his final year, when he moved to a nursing home in Windsor Ontario. He was a lifelong summer resident of Canoe Lake in Ontario's Algonquin Provincial Park.
Notesedit
^"Remembering John Ridpath, Former ARI Board Member". 23 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
^"John Bruce RIDPATH 1936 - 2021". Legacy.com. 27 March 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
^VEM 2002 Summer Conference Faculty Bios 2007-03-16 at the Wayback Machine
Tribute to John Ridpath at the Ayn Rand Institute which also features links to some of his work
April 13, 2024
john, ridpath, american, writer, 1840, 1900, john, clark, ridpath, john, ridpath, 1936, march, 2021, canadian, intellectual, historian, objectivist, associate, professor, economics, intellectual, history, york, university, toronto, also, taught, courses, duke,. For the American writer 1840 1900 see John Clark Ridpath John B Ridpath ˈ r ɪ d p ae 8 19 May 1936 23 March 2021 1 2 was a Canadian intellectual historian He was an Objectivist and an associate professor of economics and intellectual history at York University in Toronto He also taught courses at Duke University 3 John B RidpathBorn 1936 05 19 May 19 1936CanadaDied23 March 2021 2021 03 23 aged 84 CanadaNationalityCanadianAcademic careerFieldEconomics intellectual historySchool ortraditionObjectivismAlma materUniversity of Toronto BS MBA University of Virginia PhD InfluencesAyn RandBiography editRidpath attended Toronto s Upper Canada College Head Prefect 1955 and then later the University of Toronto from which he received both an undergraduate degree in Engineering and an MBA while also setting Canadian national swimming records and captaining the University of Toronto swim team He obtained his doctorate in economics from the University of Virginia 1974 but his major work was in the area of intellectual history where he emphasized the power of philosophical ideas in setting the course of history Despite receiving an award by the Ontario Council of University Faculty Associations for outstanding contribution to university teaching 4 he was nearly terminated in the early 1970s for his radical outspoken views and his obvious contempt for the popular intellectual movements of the late 20th century However with support from Nobel laureate Friedrich von Hayek after a lengthy struggle he was given tenure and promoted rather than being fired Upon his retirement in 2001 he was named professor of the year by the university and honoured with a nomination for Canadian professor of the year Ridpath was an acquaintance of Ayn Rand and served on the board of directors of the Ayn Rand Institute from 1994 until his retirement in 2011 He authored a two part article on Friedrich Nietzsche for The Objectivist Forum which became the basis of a longer treatment devoted to exposing Nietzsche s irrationalism and brooding fatalism arguing that Nietzsche at root was not an individualist and that Ayn Rand s pro reason pro volition philosophy is actually the opposite of Nietzsche s He was an expert on the history of the founding of the United States and on its Founding Fathers lecturing at several Objectivist conferences on their achievements A lifelong admirer of American Revolutionary ideals he named his firstborn son Jefferson after Thomas Jefferson In economics two of his most influential lectures were Keynes and the Death of Gold and The Philosophical Origins of Antitrust which attacked Frank Knight s notion of pure and perfect competition He also regularly gave economics courses at York University and lectured on Say s Law at a conference in the UK in the 1990s Throughout his career Ridpath argued for laissez faire capitalism not just as the most practical but also the only moral social system He defended the morality of capitalism against socialism in many debates on college campuses across North America including Yale University Harvard University the University of Chicago UCLA and Berkeley and notably against former premier of Ontario Bob Rae He and his wife Virginia Grant Ridpath had three children and he lived in Toronto from 1967 until his final year when he moved to a nursing home in Windsor Ontario He was a lifelong summer resident of Canoe Lake in Ontario s Algonquin Provincial Park Notes edit Remembering John Ridpath Former ARI Board Member 23 March 2021 Retrieved 23 March 2021 John Bruce RIDPATH 1936 2021 Legacy com 27 March 2021 Retrieved 2 April 2021 VEM 2002 Summer Conference Faculty Bios Archived 2007 03 16 at the Wayback Machine Ridpath Darewych Dimock O Reilly Rowley earn Parents Association University Wide Teaching AwardsExternal links editTribute to John Ridpath at the Ayn Rand Institute which also features links to some of his work America Needs a Leader Like George Washington by John Ridpath Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John Ridpath amp oldid 1185544142, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
