Ruth Nanda Anshen
- December 2, 2003
- 103 years
About Ruth Nanda Anshen
Ruth Nanda Anshen, 103, American philosopher, author and editor.
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Full Biography
|Ruth Nanda Anshen (June 14, 1900 – December 2, 2003) was an American philosopher, author and editor. She was the author of several books including The Anatomy of Evil, Biography of An Idea, Morals Equals Manners and The Mystery of Consciousness: A Prescription for Human Survival.
Life
Anshen was born on June 14, 1900, in Lynn, Massachusetts, to Jewish Russian immigrants. She studied at Boston University under Alfred North Whitehead. During her education, she developed a desire to unite scholars from all over the world from varying fields. In 1941, she put together the Science of Culture Series, hoping to develop a "unitary principle under which there could be subsumed and evaluated the nature of man and the nature of life, the relationship of knowledge to life."
Death
Ruth Nanda Anshen died at age 103 in New York City on December 2, 2003.
Affiliations and legacy
She was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts of London, a member of the American Philosophical Association, the History of Science Society, and the Metaphysical Society of America. In 1958, she established the Anshen-Columbia University Seminars on the Nature of Man.
In the 1990s, the Council for the Anshen Transdisciplinary Lectureships in Art, Science and the Philosophy of Culture included Noam Chomsky, Fred Hoyle, Paul O. Kristeller, Edith Porada, Meyer Schapiro, Hugh Thomas, John A. Wheeler, and C. N. Yang.
Career
Anshen was the editor of several series of books, including the World Perspectives series, published by Harper & Row, of which two volumes were by Erich Fromm: The Art of Loving (Volume 9) and To Have or to Be? (Volume 50). Another notable was Deschooling Society (Volume 44) by Ivan Illich. She also edited the Religious Perspectives Series (Harper & Row), Perspectives in Humanism Series (World Publishing Company), The Tree of Life Series (Seabury Press), and The Convergence Series (Columbia University Press).
Selected works
- Freedom: Its Meaning (1940)
- Beyond Victory (1943)
- The Family: Its Function and Destiny (1949)
- Moral Principles of Action: Man's Ethical Imperative (1952)
- Mid-East : world-center, yesterday, today, and tomorrow (1956)
- Language : an enquiry into its meaning and function (1957)
- The Reality of the Devil: The Evil in Man (1974)
- The Anatomy of Evil (1985), Revised edition of The Reality of the Devil: Evil in Man (1974)
- Biography of An Idea (1986)
- Morals Equals Manners (1992)
- The Mystery of Consciousness: A Prescription for Human Survival (1994)
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Nanda_Anshen
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Ruth Nanda Anshen's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Ruth Nanda Anshen born?
- A.London, England
- B.Lynn, Massachusettscorrect
- C.New York City, New York
- D.Boston, Massachusetts
Ruth Nanda Anshen was born on June 14, 1900, in Lynn, Massachusetts.
Source: Life section
2.Ruth Nanda Anshen was born to parents of what background?
- A.British philosophical scholars
- B.Jewish Russian immigrantscorrect
- C.Italian artistic pioneers
- D.German academic immigrants
Ruth Nanda Anshen was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, to Jewish Russian immigrants.
Source: Life section
3.Which scholar did Ruth Nanda Anshen study under at Boston University?
- A.Alfred North Whiteheadcorrect
- B.Noam Chomsky
- C.Erich Fromm
- D.John A. Wheeler
Ruth Nanda Anshen studied at Boston University under the tutelage of Alfred North Whitehead.
Source: Life section
4.In what year did Ruth Nanda Anshen develop the Science of Culture Series?
- A.1941correct
- B.1958
- C.1994
- D.1986
Ruth Nanda Anshen initiated the Science of Culture Series in 1941.
Source: Life section
5.What title did Ruth Nanda Anshen hold as a member of the Royal Society of Arts?
- A.Emeritus Member
- B.Fellowcorrect
- C.Chairman
- D.President
Ruth Nanda Anshen was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts of London.
Source: Affiliations and legacy section
6.What institution was the recipient of the seminars established by Ruth Nanda Anshen in 1958?
- A.Columbia Universitycorrect
- B.University of London
- C.Boston University
- D.Harvard University
In 1958, Ruth Nanda Anshen established the Anshen-Columbia University Seminars on the Nature of Man.
Source: Affiliations and legacy section
7.Which author wrote the book 'The Art of Loving' that was part of Ruth Nanda Anshen's World Perspectives series?
- A.Ivan Illich
- B.Noam Chomsky
- C.Fred Hoyle
- D.Erich Frommcorrect
Erich Fromm wrote The Art of Loving, which was published as Volume 9 of the World Perspectives series edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen.
Source: Career section
8.Which of these series was published by Seabury Press under Ruth Nanda Anshen's editorship?
- A.The Tree of Life Seriescorrect
- B.The Convergence Series
- C.World Perspectives series
- D.Perspectives in Humanism Series
Ruth Nanda Anshen edited The Tree of Life Series which was published by Seabury Press.
Source: Career section
9.Which volume number was 'To Have or to Be?' in the World Perspectives series edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen?
- A.50correct
- B.44
- C.103
- D.9
To Have or to Be? by Erich Fromm was published as Volume 50 of the World Perspectives series.
Source: Career section
10.In what year was Ruth Nanda Anshen's book 'Freedom: Its Meaning' published?
- A.1949
- B.1986
- C.1940correct
- D.1952
The book Freedom: Its Meaning by Ruth Nanda Anshen was published in 1940.
Source: Selected works section
11.Which book is a revised edition of 'The Reality of the Devil: Evil in Man'?
- A.The Anatomy of Evilcorrect
- B.Morals Equals Manners
- C.Biography of An Idea
- D.The Mystery of Consciousness
The Anatomy of Evil, published in 1985, is the revised edition of The Reality of the Devil: Evil in Man from 1974.
Source: Selected works section
12.What is the publication year of Ruth Nanda Anshen's book 'The Mystery of Consciousness: A Prescription for Human Survival'?
- A.1992
- B.1994correct
- C.1974
- D.1986
The Mystery of Consciousness: A Prescription for Human Survival was published in 1994.
Source: Selected works section
13.At what age did Ruth Nanda Anshen die?
- A.103correct
- B.105
- C.98
- D.100
Ruth Nanda Anshen died at the age of 103.
Source: Death section
14.In which city did Ruth Nanda Anshen pass away?
- A.London
- B.Lynn
- C.Boston
- D.New York Citycorrect
Ruth Nanda Anshen died in New York City on December 2, 2003.
Source: Death section
15.Which individual was part of the Council for the Anshen Transdisciplinary Lectureships in the 1990s?
- A.Noam Chomskycorrect
- B.Erich Fromm
- C.Ivan Illich
- D.Alfred North Whitehead
Noam Chomsky was listed as a member of the Council for the Anshen Transdisciplinary Lectureships in the 1990s.
Source: Affiliations and legacy section
16.What was the full date of Ruth Nanda Anshen's death?
- A.June 14, 2003
- B.June 14, 2000
- C.December 2, 2003correct
- D.December 2, 1990
Ruth Nanda Anshen passed away on December 2, 2003.
Source: Death section
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