Aug 29, 2014

To all who admired Burgess Laughlin, I'm sorry to say he has passed away. Please find his obituary message on his main website:


If you would like to say something about Burgess, feel free to use the comment section here.

Burgess, you will be missed.

1 comment:

Rohin Gupta said...

Burgess was my best friend, a guide, a mentor, even though we had never met. Separated by thousands of miles, I took to his blogs, personal correspondance and then the books of Burgess, when my professional life was in crisis. His emphasis on "Central Purpose of Life" as the primary determinant of one's actions, anchored my life when I needed it the most.

If I were to select the most salient feature of his writings, it would be his vision of Heroism among the intellectuals. Ever since he was young, it was Ayn Rand's title essay in her book "For The New Intellectual" that inspired him the most. He found heroic elements not just in rational intellectuals like Aristotle, Ayn Rand, and Locke. But even among Kant, Augustine, Porphyry. It was his dedication and passion for those who had passion and dedication for ideas that enabled him to reinvent his life at an age when most people give up on their dreams. It was this dedication that created "Study Groups for Objectivists" and deeply challenging, engaging, learning, fulfilling studies that followed.

His works have potential to create an army of committed rational intellectuals, who can usher in new era of enlightenment.

I am deeply saddened by his loss. Part of him will remain with us in his blogs, books, and online posts. But it is the loss of a friend which would be impossible to fulfill.