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Collection Overview
| Size | 25.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 15000 items) |
| Abstract | Elie Maynard Adams, philosopher; assistant professor-Kenan Professor of Philosophy, 1948-1979; and chair of the faculty, 1976-1979, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Correspondence, writings, interviews, and other material of E. Maynard Adams, chiefly documenting his professional life as a philosopher and faculty member at the University of North Carolina, but also including letters from Adams to his parents, 1937-1983. The collection contains Adams2 s professional correspondence and drafts of his writings as well as interviews with Adams by professors and students, films, and photographs of Adams. The interviews are primarily about Adams's ideas about important philosophical issues. Included are discussions of humanism, naturalism, metaphysics, logic, language, religion, morality, ethics, and Adams's criticisms of the economic system and ideas about structuring a humanistic economic system. Some interviews also discuss his life and the history of the University of North Carolina and its Department of Philosophy. Also included are 90 audiocassettes of philosophy classes taught by Adams. |
| Creator | Adams, E. M. (Elie Maynard), 1919- |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical
Information
Personal:
Born 29 December 1919, Clarkton, Va.
Parents: Wade Hampton and Bessie Calloway Adams.
Married Phyllis Margaret Stevenson, 22 December 1942.
Two children.
Education:
B.A., 1941, M.A., 1944, University of Richmond, Richmond, Va.
B.D., 1944, Colgate-Rochester Divinity School, Rochester, N.Y.
M.A., 1947, Ph.D., 1948, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Career:
Ohio University 1947-1948 Assistant professor of philosophy
University of North Carolina
1948-1953 Assistant professor of philosophy
1951-1952 Director, Free World Institute
1953-1958 Associate professor of philosophy
1958-1971 Professor of philosophy
1966 (summer) Visiting professor of philosophy, University of Southern California
1960-1965 Chair, Dept. of Philosophy
1970-1972 Director, Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense
1971 (summer) Visiting professor of philosophy, State University of New York at Albany
1971-1990 Kenan professor of philosophy
1976-1979 Chair of the Faculty
1977 (summer) Visiting professor of philosophy, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
1990- Kenan professor of philosophy emeritus
1994-1995 Nelson Ferebee Taylor professor of philosophy
Books:
Fundamentals of General Logic, 1954
Logic Problems, 1954
Language of Value (with others), 1957
Ethical Naturalism and the Modern World View, 1960
Categorical Analysis: Selected Essays of Everett W. Hall, ed.
Common Sense Realism: Critical Essays on the Philosophy of Everett W. Hall, ed., Southern Journal of Philosophy, vol. 4 (fall), 1966
Philosophy and the Modern Mind, 1975
The Idea of America (with others), 1977
The Metaphysics of Self and World: Toward a Humanistic Philosophy, 1991
Religion and Cultural Freedom, 1993
A Society Fit for Human Beings, 1997
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Scope and Content
Correspondence, writings, interviews, and other material of E. Maynard Adams, chiefly documenting his professional life as a philosopher and faculty member at the University of North Carolina, but also including letters from Adams to his parents, 1937-1983. The collection contains Adams's professional correspondence and drafts of his writings as well as interviews with Adams by professors and students, films, and photographs of Adams. The interviews are primarily about Adams's ideas about important philosophical issues. Included are discussions of humanism, naturalism, metaphysics, logic, language, religion, morality, ethics, and Adams's criticisms of the economic system and ideas about structuring a humanistic economic system. Some interviews also discuss his life and the history of the University of North Carolina and its Department of Philosophy. The additions of 1997 and 1998 contain audiotapes of some of Adams's class lectures on value theory and metaphysics in 1983-1989.
Personal letters of Adams to family and friends recounting daily life and social relations. This also includes letters discussing public lectures, letters to politicians discussing the role of the University of North Carolina, and letters and articles about the proposed philosophy center to be headed by Adams. In addition, there is a report of the faculty committee on the future of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill given to the faculty council in November 1969. Adams wrote the central committee report and resolutions for this report.
Audio tapes of Adams's lectures.
Synopses of interviews conducted by Glenn Blackburn of E. Maynard Adams, as well as of various former students including Jude Dougherty, James von Frank, William Friday and Seth Holtzman. In addition, the collection contains articles and speeches composed by Glenn Blackburn discussion various aspects of the life and work of E. Maynard Adams. Finally, the collection contains photocopies of several letters written by Adams to Glenn Backburn for the purpose of clarifying aspects of Adams's philosophy.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Professional Correspondence and Related Material, 1942-1997.
Correspondence and other material documenting Adams's activities as philosopher and professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Papers have been placed in new folders, but the original order and folder titles have been retained. Similar materials are found in each of the three subseries. For some subjects, researchers will need to consult more than one subseries. For example, correspondence about the Executive Seminars in the Humanities are filed under "E" in Subseries 1.1 and under "Executive Seminars in the Humanities" in Subseries 1.2.
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Subseries 1.1. Alphabetical, 1965-1996.
Professional correspondence includes letters about publication of books and papers, attendance and presentations at conferences, classes taught, requests for recommendations for students and former students, and other correspondence with colleagues and friends.
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Subseries 1.2. Topical, 1951-1997.
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Subseries 1.3. Chronological, 1942-1961.
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Series 2. Writings, 1947-1997.
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Subseries 2.1. Books, 1954-1997.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Typescripts, some with marginal comments, of Adams's books. Also included are correspondence with publishers about some books and reviews of some books.
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Subseries 2.2. Papers, 1940s-1990s.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Short writings by E. M. Adams, including drafts of and correspondence about scholarly papers, op. ed. pieces, reports on departments and programs in UNC and other institutions, speeches, and other items.
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Subseries 2.3. Collected Papers, 1947-1997.
Copies of Adams's scholarly papers, which were bound together in eight volumes.
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Series 3. Interviews, 1995-1996.
Arrangement: chronological.
Nineteen interviews with E. M. Adams by philosophers and students, most of whom were employed by or studying at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Most of the interviews are about Adams's ideas about philosophy. Some also discuss his life and the history of the University of North Carolina and the Department of Philosophy.
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Series 4. Films, 1960s?-1990s?.
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Series 5. Family Correspondence, 1937-1982.
Arrangement: chronological.
Letters from Adams to his mother, 1937-1941; to mother and dad, 1942-1963; to mother, 1963-1982; and to and from his daughter, 1983-1993.
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Series 6. Biographical Material, 1941-1997.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
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Series 7. Pictures, 1990 and undated.
| Image P-4814/1-2 |
Photographs of E. Maynard Adams, 1990 and undated. #04814, Series: "7. Pictures, 1990 and undated." P-4814/1-2P-4814/1P-4814/2 |
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Addition of July 1997 (Acc.97095).
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Additions of August and December 1997 (Acc. 97106 and 98001)
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Addition of March 2001(Acc. 98819).
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Items Separated
Processed by: Linda Sellars with the assistance of Dana Lanier and Alicia Reeves May 1997 with subsequent additions
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
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