Richard Bell (b.1938 – d.2016), Frank H. Ferris Professor of Philosophy, came to The College of Wooster in1969 with a PhD from Yale. He began teaching in the Religious Studies Department and then moved to the Philosophy Department. Bell was a prolific writer and scholar with an ever expanding range of interests that included aesthetics, African philosophies, the peace and reconciliation project in South Africa, spirituality in religious communities, and special interests in the writings of Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, and Simone Weil. With tireless energy, he organized several nationally recognized conferences at Wooster that focused on the writings of scholars of Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, Weil, and his mentor Paul Homer. These conferences resulted in edited anthologies. In mid-career, he developed a significant research project in African philosophies that produced a regularly taught course in the Philosophy and Africana Studies Departments, lectures to the campus by internationally known Africana philosophers, and two teaching appointments at universities in South Africa. Below is a list of several of his books showing his range of interests. Essays on Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein Simone Weil: The Way of Justice as Compassion Simone Weil Rethinking Justice Sensing the Spirit Understanding African Philosophy “Theology as Grammar” (Doctoral Thesis) Bell’s lectures, papers, and published articles are held in the Andrews Library Archives at The College of Wooster.
