L. P. Jacks
| Lawrence Pearsall Jacks | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | 9 October 1860 Nottingham |
| Died | 17 February 1955 Oxford |
| Occupation | Philosopher, Unitarian minister |
Lawrence Pearsall Jacks (9 October 1860 – 17 February 1955), abbreviated L. P. Jacks was an English educator, philosopher, and Unitarian minister who rose to prominence in the period from World War I to World War II.
Jacks was born on 9 October 1860 in Nottingham. In 1882, he enrolled in Manchester New College (which then was in London). After graduating with a M.A. in 1886, he spent a year at Harvard University, where he studied with the philosopher Josiah Royce. In 1887, he became assistant minister to Stopford Brooke in his chapel in Bloomsbury, London. He served as assistant minister for a year, and then accepted a position as Unitarian minister for Renshaw Street Unitarian Chapel in Liverpool.
In 1889 Jacks married Olive Brooke, the daughter of Stopford Brooke. They had six children together. During this time, Jacks' circle of associates included George Bernard Shaw, Sidney and Beatrice Webb, and Oscar Wilde. Jacks was appointed minister for the Church of the Messiah, Birmingham in 1894.
Jacks served as Principal of Manchester College, which was by then based in Oxford, from 1915 until his retirement in 1931.
Jacks served as the editor of the Hibbert Journal from its founding in 1902 until 1948. Under his editorship the Journal became one of the leading forums in England for work in philosophy and religion, and introduced the work of Alfred Loisy to British readers. In September 1915, he wrote in support of the war effort, citing the need to defeat German militarism and defend "the liberties of our race." His article, titled "The Peacefulness of Being at War" in The New Republic, argued that the war had "brought to England a peace of mind such as she had not possessed for decades," claiming that the sense of common purpose brought on by the war had overcome social fragmentation and improved English life. Jacks was interested in parapsychology and was President for the Society for Psychical Research (1917-1918).
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