Peter Thomas Geach (b. 29 March 1916) is one of the foremost contemporary British philosophers. His areas of interest are the history of philosophy, philosophical logic, the theory of identity, and the philosophy of religion.

His early work includes the classic texts Mental Acts, and Reference and Generality, which defends an essentially modern conception of reference against medieval theories of supposition.

His Catholic perspective is integral to his philosophy. He is the founder of Analytical Thomism, whose aim is to synthesise Thomistic and Analytic approaches. He defends the Thomistic position that human beings are essentially rational animals, each one miraculously created. He dismisses Darwinistic attempts to regard reason as inessential to our humanity, as "mere sophistry, laughable, or pitiable." He repudiates any capacity for language in animals as mere "association of manual signs with things or performances."

Geach dismisses both pragmatic and epistemic conceptions of truth, commending a version of the correspondence theory proposed by Aquinas. He argues that there is one reality rooted in God himself, who is the ultimate Truthmaker. God is Truth.

He was recently awarded the order "Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice" by the Holy See for his philosophical work.

His wife was the noted philosopher and Wittgenstein scholar Elizabeth Anscombe. Both converts to Roman Catholicism, they had seven children.

Publications

• Geach, P. Truth and Hope University of Notre Dame Press, 2001 ISBN 0-268-04215-2

Geach, P. "Saying and Showing in Frege and Wittgenstein."

1916 births | Living people | 20th century philosophers | 21st century philosophers | Analytic philosophers | British philosophers | Roman Catholics | Roman Catholic philosophers | Logicians | Philosophers of language | Wittgensteinian philosophers

Peter Geach | Peter Thomas Geach | Peter Geach