Brian Joseph O'Shaughnessy (1925 - 2010)

Born 10 Sep 1925 in Kew, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Died 7 Jul 2010 at age 84 in London, England, United Kingdom

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Lesley Morgan [send private message]

Biography

Brian O'Shaughnessy was born in Victoria, Australia

Brian O'Shaughnessy is Notable.

Brian O'Shaughnessy, who died aged 84, was one of philosophy's most distinctive voices. O'Shaughnessy's outlook reflects the misleading nature of oppositional labels; one the one hand, analytic philosophy – obsessed with logic, words and nit-picking arguments – and on the other, continental philosophy – with its ambitions to seize big ideas, even at the cost of sinking into obscurity.^[1]

Brian Joseph O'Shaughnessy was born on 10 September 1925 at Kew, Victoria. His parents were Dr William Thomas O'Shaughnessy (1894-1961) and Dr William Thomas O'Shaughnessy (1894-1961)^[2].^[1]

Emigration to England

Brian relocated from Australia to England in 1952, travelling on the vessel "Mooltan", and arrived on 18 Sep. 1952^[3]

Marriage

Brian married South-African born psychoanalyst, Edna (O'Shaughnessy) in 1952. Together they had three children.

Career

Brian studied at Xavier College and Melbourne University before heading to Oxford in England. During his academic career he worked at Bedford College (later merged with Kings College) and did visiting professorships at the Universities of California, UCLA and Berkeley. He lived for almost 60 years in England.^[1]

O'Shaughnessy's twin towering achievements are two very large books: The Will, in two volumes, first published in 1980, and Consciousness and the World, published 20 years later. ^[1]

He had an abiding passion for classical music. Before coming to Britain, he had an interesting group of friends in Australia, notably the film-maker Tim Burstall, the potter Tom Sanders, the painters Charlie Blackman, Sidney Nolan, John Perceval – and Arthur Boyd, his closest friend for a good part of his life.^[1]

Family

Brian died in England and was mentioned on a memorial in Highgate Cemetery East, Highgate, London Borough of Camden, Greater London, England with a death date of 7 July 2010.^[4][2][5]

Above all, he was a family man, deriving much pleasure and inspiration from his wife, Red, herself an accomplished philosopher and renowned psychoanalyst, and the company of his children and grandchildren. He is survived by Red, whom he married in 1952, and their children, Ben, Kathy and Rosalind.^[1]

Research Notes

Residence Date: 1949, Kew North, Kooyong, Victoria, Australia

Possible marriage to Edna - although date differs to the date in obituary: Brian's marriage to Edna Daitz was registered in the Jul-Aug-Sep quarter of 1954 in the Greenwich district.^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} Mike Martin. Brian O'Shaughnessy Obituary. The Guardian. 15 July 2010. Retrieved online at https://web.archive.org/web/20230701022222/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/jul/14/brian-oshaughnessy-obituary
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Wikipedia contributors. (2023, May 27). Brian O'Shaughnessy (philosopher). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:13, July 1, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brian_O%27Shaughnessy_(philosopher)&oldid=1157200047
3. ↑ Passenger List: "UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960"
   The National Archives in Washington, DC; London, England, UK; Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and Successors: Inwards Passenger Lists; Class: Bt26; Piece: 1290; Item: 118
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry au Record 1518 #2656334 (accessed 1 July 2023)
   Name: Brian O'Shaughnessy; Arrival Age: 26; Birth Date: abt 1926; Port of Departure: Brisbane, Australia; Arrival Date: 18 Sep. 1952; Port of Arrival: London, England; Ports of Voyage: Brisbane; Sydney; Melbourne; Adelaide; Fremantle; Colombo; Bombay; Aden; Port Said and Marseilles; Ship Name: Mooltan; Shipping Line: P and O Steam Navigation Company Ltd; Official Number: 145435.
4. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #116539881 (accessed 1 July 2023)
   Memorial page for Brian Joseph O'Shaughnessy (10 Sep 1925-7 Jul 2010), citing Highgate Cemetery East, Highgate, London Borough of Camden, Greater London, England; Maintained by Mary Collier (contributor 47117477).
5. ↑ Death: "England and Wales, Death Index, 1989-2021"
   Greypower Deceased Data; Compiled By Wilmington Millennium; West Yorkshire, England; England and Wales Death Indexes
   Ancestry au Record 60630 #1262957 (accessed 1 July 2023)
   Brian Joseph O'Shaughnessy death 7 Jul. 2010 (born 10 Sep. 1925) residing in London, London, England.
6. ↑ Marriage Registration: "England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005"
   General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 5c; Page: 1421
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry au Record 8753 #34044317 (accessed 1 July 2023)
   Brian J O'Shaughnessy marriage to Edna Daitz registered Jul-Aug-Sep 1954 in Greenwich.