Burton Dreben - Career

Career

Harvard University awarded Dreben an A.B. and an A.M. in 1949 and 1955, respectively. He taught at the University of Chicago, 1955–56, at Harvard 1956-90, and at Boston University for the remainder of his life. He was a Fulbright Fellow at Oxford 1950-51, a member of the Harvard Society of Fellows 1952-55, a Guggenheim Fellow from 1957–58, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences from 1963.

At Harvard, he was Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 1973-75, a special assistant to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences with oversight over the academic tenure process, Chair of the Society of Fellows 1976-90, and Edgar Pierce Professor of Philosophy Emeritus.

At the Association for Symbolic Logic, he was twice a treasurer, and an editor of its journal (Isaacson).

Dreben was a highly influential teacher of philosophy. The Harvard Crimson described him as

"A mathematical logician by training, his writings set new standards of clarity for the historical study of 20th-century philosophy. His lectures at Harvard and later at Boston University, where he taught from 1991 until his death, were famous for their wit, bravado, and intellectual excitement, attracting students and faculty alike and shaping several generations of philosophers. His mastery of the texts of 20th-century analytic philosophy was unmatched."

Dreben became known for his close reading and detailed comments on the draft writings of his Harvard colleagues W.V. Quine, John Rawls, Hilary Putnam, Stanley Cavell, Charles Parsons, and Warren Goldfarb. Quine often thanked Dreben in print for his advice and corrections. In his later years, Dreben was a guest lecturer in Scandinavia, Israel, and Europe, giving seminars on the nature and significance of 20th-century philosophy.

During the student revolt of the late 1960s, Dreben helped mediate the conflicts and disputes between Harvard students and administration. Among his students was Harry R. Lewis.