George Grant
George Parkin Grant (1918-1988) was a prominent Canadian philosopher, author, and educator known for his critical views on Canadian nationalism and technology's impact on society. Born into a distinguished family in Toronto, he received a robust education, earning his B.A. from Queen's University and a doctorate from Oxford University. Grant served in the English army during World War II, and after the war, he held academic positions at Dalhousie University and McMaster University, ultimately returning to Dalhousie.
His most notable work, "Lament for a Nation: The Defeat of Canadian Nationalism," critiques Canada’s alignment with the United States, arguing that this dependence undermines Canada’s national identity and culture. He further explored these themes in "Technology and Empire," expressing concerns over technology's role in shaping moral and ethical values in Western society. Over time, Grant's ideological stance shifted from a liberal perspective in his youth to a more conservative viewpoint, particularly after his wartime experiences. Throughout his life, he was recognized with multiple honorary degrees and remains an influential figure in discussions about Canadian identity and ethics in modern technology.
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George Grant
Philosopher
- Born: November 13, 1918
- Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Died: September 27, 1988
- Place of death: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Biography
George Parkin Grant was born November 13, 1918, to William Lawson and Maude Parkin Grant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Grant was born into a highly educated and prominent Canadian family. His grandfather George Munro Grant was a late-nineteenth century minister and educator. His other grandfather, Sir George Parkin, was a notable supporter of Imperial Federation and the head of the Rhodes Trust. Grant’s father, William Grant, was a professor of colonial history at Oxford and became headmaster of Upper Canada College in Toronto.
Grant received an exemplary education. He earned his B.A. in 1939 from Queen’s University and went on to graduate studies at Oxford University, where he earned his doctoral degree. Grant took a hiatus from his education during World War II, when he served in the English army. In 1947, Grant married a woman named Sheila, and the two had six children. Grant served as a professor of philosophy at Dalhousie University on Halifax from 1947 through 1960, and he then became head of the religion department at McMaster University in Hamilton. In 1980, Grant returned to Dalhousie, where he taught in the classics, religion, and political science schools.
Grant is most famous for his controversial book Lament for a Nation: The Defeat of Canadian Nationalism. In the book he condemns Canada for accepting American nuclear weapons for protection and blasts Canada for its part in creating the napalm used in Vietnam. Grant argues that in bowing to American demands, Canada lost its sense of self reliance and would soon surrender its heritage and culture to America. Following in this vein, Grant published Technology and Empire: Perspectives on North America, in which he expressed deep concerns for technology and the role it plays in shaping—or destroying—Western society and morality.
As a youth Grant followed a liberal ideology, but he became a religious conservative after his service in the war. Later in life, this ideological transformation became evident in his subject matter. He shifted from writing on social, economic, and political issues to writing about morality, attacking abortion, euthanasia, and technology’s role in altering Western value systems. In his 1986 work, Technology and Justice, Grant argues that just because something is technically possible does not mean it is the morally correct thing to do, and he expresses his concern about the Western world’s reliance upon machinery and its decline in morality and ethics. George Grant died September 27, 1988, of pancreatic cancer. He received many honorary degrees, including degrees from Trent University in 1970; Mount Allison University in 1972; Dalhousie University in 1974; and the University of Calgary in 1978. Since his death, Grant has been most recognized for his contributions to Canadian nationalism in English-speaking Canada.