Background
Donald Kalish was born on December 4, 1919, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. He was a son of Lionel Kalish and Mildred Kalish.
University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
In 1943, Donald received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. Then, he continued his education at the same university, graduating with a Master of Arts degree in Psychology in 1945 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Philosophy in 1949.
1969
UCLA philosophy department Chairman Donald Kalish and Angela Davis at news conference, that followed her lecture.
University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
In 1943, Donald received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. Then, he continued his education at the same university, graduating with a Master of Arts degree in Psychology in 1945 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Philosophy in 1949.
("Logic: Techniques of Formal Reasoning" (Second Edition) ...)
"Logic: Techniques of Formal Reasoning" (Second Edition) is an introductory volume, that teaches students to recognize and construct correct deductions.
https://www.amazon.com/Logic-Techniques-Reasoning-Donald-Kalish/dp/0195155041/?tag=2022091-20
1980
activist educator logician author
Donald Kalish was born on December 4, 1919, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. He was a son of Lionel Kalish and Mildred Kalish.
In 1943, Donald received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. Then, he continued his education at the same university, graduating with a Master of Arts degree in Psychology in 1945 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Philosophy in 1949.
Initially, Donald taught for several years at Swarthmore College and the University of California, Berkeley, and then, in 1949, he joined the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where, from 1964 to 1970, he held the post of Chairman of the Department of Philosophy. During his tenure at the educational establishment, Kalish helped to create UCLA's program in logic and semantics and founded the Concerned Faculty. In addition, he served as a member of the University Committee on Vietnam. Donald officially retired from his teaching position from the university in 1990. However, he returned periodically to teach his class in introductory logic through 1997.
Donald was an ardent anti-war activist. One of Southern California's earliest high-profile critics of the Vietnam fighting, Kalish as vice chairman of the Peace Action Council was co-organizer of a historic demonstration at the Century Plaza Hotel on June 23, 1967. About 80 antiwar organizations mustered 10,000 protesters to march, while President Johnson was speaking in the hotel. In 1967, Donald also organized the March on the Pentagon to protest the Vietnam War. The same year, Kalish signed a letter, declaring his intention to refuse to pay taxes in protest against the United States war against Vietnam, urging other people to also take this stand.
Later, in October 1972, when President Nixon was speaking at the Century Plaza Hotel, Kalish organized another demonstration. That time, Kalish held several planning sessions with police before the march, and the 10,000 protesters, who turned out, conducted what police praised as one of the best-disciplined large marches in city history. Then, Kalish's anti-Vietnam War protests extended to bailing out protesters, who were arrested.
It's worth noting, that, in the midst of Vietnam protests, Kalish received brickbats from then Gov. Reagan and other conservatives for his work on campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was credited by academics with bringing top philosophers into the university faculty. It was Donald, who helped to hire Marxist political activist, Angela Davis, as one of his department's professors in 1969, an act, that drew considerable controversy at the time. She never got the chance to teach, however, because the UCLA's Board of Regents, with Reagan as a very active member, fired her under a 1940 UC policy against employing communists.
In 1983, when the United States sent its troops to Grenada, Donald protested in a letter to The Times. The letter was written on behalf of the Faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles, which he headed.
Kalish was an active member of several anti-war committees. In 1967-1969, he was co-chairman of the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam. Between 1967 and 1970, Donald acted as a member of Resist Steering Committee.
In addition, being a notable logician, Donald, together with his colleague Richard Montague, originated an innovative method of doing formal logical proofs by natural deduction. They also wrote the book, titled "Logic: Techniques of Formal Reasoning" (1964). The second edition of the work was published in 1980.
("Logic: Techniques of Formal Reasoning" (Second Edition) ...)
1980(First edition.)
1964Donald was a critic of the United States foreign policy in countries from Southeast Asia to Central America. He led many student demonstrations against the Vietnam War and opposed the United States involvement in Nicaragua, Grenada and other countries. Kalish and his group also opposed Reagan's Central American policies in the mid-1980's.
Quotations: "There is something about teaching philosophy at UCLA, that keeps one young. Although I'll never see 40 again, on better days I rather like to think of myself as a boy of promise."
Donald was a member of the American Association of University Professors and American Philosophical Association.
Kalish was a highly respected and devoted teacher, who taught with precision, compassion and enthusiasm. He was the proverbial "teacher's teacher", who had the rare ability of being able to make even the most complex and arcane concepts readily comprehensible to his students. Donald always made his students feel free to contact him and regularly gave them his home phone number with the instruction, that if they ever wanted to discuss an assignment, to call him anytime, day or night.
Quotes from others about the person
"An inspiring and sparkling teacher, who brought excitement and a sense of community to the classroom, Don brought scores of students to love and appreciate the subject. Students cite his courses and his influence in general as a turning point in their academic careers." - David Kaplan, a Professor of Philosophy
Donald married Ann (Graham) Kalish in 1982.