Distinguished Faculty AwardBenjamin Daise
Benjamin Daise
Professor Emeritus of Philosophy
1970-2008
Daise, one of the first black philosophy professors in the country, spent nearly 40 years enriching the lives of his students through the study of existentialism and ancient philosophy, with special attention to the idea of self. He is the author of Kierkegaard’s Socratic Art, a book that affirmed his role as a leading voice on Kierkegaard in the field. Trained in Danish and Greek, Daise earned his B.A. in chemistry from Morehouse College and his Ph.D. in philosophy from University of Texas at Austin. Daise is remembered by former students as challenging their preconceived notions of who they were and what they were capable of. Robert Alan Schindler ’72 reflected: “Ben Daise transmitted a rare and contagious enthusiasm for philosophy and treated students with respect, dignity and equality.”