The Five Great Philosophies of Life

Contents: The Epicurean Pursuit of PleasureStoic Self-Control by LawThe Platonic Subordination of Lower to HigherThe Aristotelian Sense of ProportionThe Christian Spirit of Love William De Witt Hyde, the seventh president of Bowdoin College (1885-1917), was born in Winchendon, Massachusetts, on September 23, 1858. After earning his bachelor's degree from Harvard in 1879, he continued his theological studies at Union Theological Seminary (1879-1880) and Andover Theological Seminary (1882). Hyde served as a minister in Patterson, New Jersey (1883-1885), prior to accepting his post as president of Bowdoin and professor of mental and moral philosophy. Hyde transformed Bowdoin from a failing country college into an example of a style of higher education. He enlarged the faculty, revolutionized the curriculum, eased entrance requirements, and gave new status to the sciences and the languages. Hyde was a prolific author, which gave Bowdoin nationwide exposure and cemented Hyde's reputation as a theorist of higher education. Hyde was also a trustee of Phillips Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire (1898-1917), and he received honorary degrees from Bowdoin (1886, 1917), Harvard (1886), Syracuse (1897), and Dartmouth (1909).