David Prall

David Wight Prall (1886–1940) was a philosopher of art. Born on 5 October 1886 in Saginaw, Michigan, Prall received his PhD in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1918.

Prall was Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University (1920–21; 1930–40). He taught also at Cornell (1910–12), the University of Texas (1912–14), Amherst (1918–19), and the University of California (1921–30). While at Harvard, Prall was a teacher and mentor to the notable composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein.

Prall died on 21 October 1940 in Berkeley, CA, while on sabbatical from Harvard. His papers are held at Mills College, Oakland, California.

Publications

• Prall, D. W. (1918). "Concerning the Nature of Philosophy". Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods. 15 (5): 127–130. doi:10.2307/2940377. JSTOR 2940377.
• Prall, D. W. (1921). "The Esthetic Heresy". Journal of Philosophy. 18 (19): 516–526. doi:10.2307/2939310. JSTOR 2939310.
• Prall, D. W. (1923). "In Defense of a Worthless Theory of Value". Journal of Philosophy. 20 (5): 128–137. doi:10.2307/2939368. JSTOR 2939368.
• Prall, D. W. (1924). "Value and Thought-Process". Journal of Philosophy. 21 (5): 117–125. doi:10.2307/2014348. JSTOR 2014348.
• Prall, D. W. (1925). "Essences and Universals". Journal of Philosophy. 22 (10): 264–272. doi:10.2307/2015099. JSTOR 2015099.
• Aesthetic Judgment. Thomas Y. Crowell. 1929.
• Prall, D. W. (1933). "A Case of the Pathetic Fallacy". Journal of Philosophy. 30 (5): 113–119. doi:10.2307/2016795. JSTOR 2016795.
• Aesthetic Analysis. Thomas Y. Crowell. 1936.
• Prall, D. W. (1938). "Knowledge as Aptness of the Body". Philosophical Review. 47 (2): 128–154. doi:10.2307/2180852. JSTOR 2180852.

References

• Barry Seldes, Leonard Bernstein: The Political Life of an American Musician
• Prall, David Wight (1886–1940), in The Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers, Edited by John R. Shook (Continuum, 2005).