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In Memoriam: David Harrah (1927-2022)

Brian Leiter

Another belated memorial notice, this one for Professor Harrah, who was emeritus in philosophy at UC Riverside, and who died last year.  In the 1960s and 1970s, he was especially well-known for his work on the logic of communication and questions.  He was also an accomplihsed alpinist, which is a focus of this obituary in The Seattle Times.  Comments are open for remembrances from those who knew Professor Harrah or wish to comment on his philosophical work.

(Thanks to Graeme Forbes for the pointer.)

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One response to “In Memoriam: David Harrah (1927-2022)”

  1. Graeme Forbes

    I met David when I spent two quarters at Riverside in 1986. I had heard of him because of his chapter on questions in the Gabbay and Guenthner Handbook, but was surprised when I asked who knew the local mountains and might be able to show me around (a who?-question, in the taxonomy of that chapter), and was pointed in his direction. David was a superb guide. It was lucky for me that when I met him he was already closing in on 60; 15 or even 10 years earlier I don't think there would have been any way I could've kept up with him. He wasn't one to blow his own trumpet, but over the months he told me a bit about his past and I realized I was hiking with a top alpinist — one with no toes, to boot, a result of that forced bivouac on his epic descent from the summit of Yerupaha. After his toes were amputated the doctor told him he'd never hike or climb again. Took him six months.

    I was alerted to something being wrong when my xmas card was returned as undeliverable a couple of weeks ago. I found the Seattle Times obituary and learned he had died at 95. I was taken aback — I'd just assumed, given all he'd survived, that he was immortal.

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