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Paul
Tomassi's tragic death on September 14 2005 after a short illness has deprived
the University of Aberdeen of one of its finest teachers, and a committed member
of staff.
Paul Tomassi was born in Edinburgh in 1962, and educated both at school and university there. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh with both an Honours MA and a PhD, and was appointed to a temporary lectureship at Edinburgh for a year. In 1993 he moved to a permanent lectureship at the University of Aberdeen, and was promoted senior lecturer less than 10 years later, in 2002. Paul's contribution to the wider university was considerable, notably in the part he played as a Schools Liaison Officer. But his heart lay primarily with the education and care of students, including especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. As well as Director of Undergraduate Studies he served as Disabilities Officer and was an important contributor to the Philosophy Access Course for students with non-standard qualifications. He was also an external examiner, both undergraduate and postgraduate, at the University of Glasgow. During his two year period as Head of Department, the nationwide review of teaching philosophy in Scotland took place. Paul was responsible for presenting Aberdeen's credentials, and it was an immense source of satisfaction to him that this resulted in the highest possible commendation.
Paul's website proudly declared that he had three main interests "logic, logic and logic". There is truth in that, but it also disguises the breadth of his interests and expertise. His published work ranges from obscure 17th century Scottish philosophers, through the nature of emotion, to the metaphysical underpinnings of environmental philosophy, and there is a paper on truth forthcoming in the leading journal Synthese, which sadly he will not see in print. But it is indeed his passion for logic that set him apart, and especially his passion for teaching it, because of his exceptional ability to stimulate a similar passion in his students. Even at the outset of his career, and as a temporary lecturer, his ability to generate enthusiasm for what is so often a dry subject, was remarkable, and remarked upon. At Aberdeen, enrolments in Formal Logic rose dramatically. The most reluctant students became enthusiastic, and the most able discovered a new world of intellectual interest.
In 1999, Routledge published his textbook, entitled simply Logic. In the face of somewhat stiff odds, it rapidly established itself as one of the best. Described by one reviewer as " the most accessible and user-friendly introduction to formal logic currently available to students" it has been adopted widely in the in Australia and the USA, as well as the UK. Paul had spent several years trying it out on his own classes and revising it in the light of experience, and this undoubtedly contributed to its excellence and hence to its success. Latterly, he spent even more time working on an associated website.
There is no doubt that academically, Paul should be remembered above all as a teacher of logic, and that is why his colleagues have decided to establish an annual Logic Prize as the best possible form of commemoration. Details of the Prize, together with guidance for those who would like to contribute can be found at www.abdn.ac.uk/philosophy/LogicPrize.shtml
Logic, Routledge. London & New York. 1999, pp.
411.
ISBN: 0-415-16696-9 (paperback)
ISBN: 0-415-16695-0 (hardback)
"Paul Tomassi's book is the most accessible and user-friendly introduction to formal logic currently available to students. Never intimidating, this is a text from which even the most unmathematically minded student can learn all the basics of elementary formal logic."
Professor E.J. Lowe, University of Durham.
Associated website featuring freeware and documentation for computer-based proof-theory for Logic, Paul Tomassi's Logic, http://www.oxford-virtual.com/Philosophy/Tomassi/.
1. The Dictionary of Nineteenth Century British Philosophers, W.J. Manders & A.P.F. Sell (eds.), Thoemmes Press, Bristol, May 2002, two volumes, ISBN: 1-85506-955-5.
'Ogston, Francis (1803-1887)' Volume 2,pp. 879-881.
'Kerr, George (1771-1826)'Volume 2,pp. 632-633.
2. The Dictionary of Seventeenth Century British Philosophers, A. Pyle (ed.), Thoemmes Press, Bristol, April 2000, two volumes, ISBN: 1-85506-704-8.
'Abercromby, David (d.1702?)'Volume 1,pp. 2-7.
'Binning, Hugh (1627-1653)'Volume 1,pp. 90-95.
'Duncan, Mark (1570?-1640)' Volume 1,pp. 266-268.
'Fergusson, James (1621-1667)' Volume 1,pp. 297-300.
'Fletcher, Andrew (1655-1716)'Volume 1,pp. 309-315.
'Rollock, Robert (1555?-1599)'Volume 2,pp. 689-691.
'Ross, Alexander (1591-1654)' Volume 2,pp. 692-698.
3. Encyclopédie Philosophique Universelle, Tome III: Les Oeuvres Philosophique, Volume II, Presses Universitaires De France. Paris. February, 1989.
Entry on: Presuppositions and Non Truth-Conditional Semantics by D.S. Wilson, Academic Press, London. 1975, pp. 3855.
Entry on: The Concept of Language by N.L. Wilson, University of Toronto Press, Canada. 1959, pp. 3856.
4. The New Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press. Oxford, 2004:
'Abercromby, David (d.1702?)'1000 words.
'Binning, Hugh (1627-1653)'1100 words.
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