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LAURENCE LAMPERT
Date of Passing: Apr 20, 2024
Send Flowers to the Family Offer Condolences or MemoryLAURENCE LAMPERT
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of world-renowned philosophy scholar Laurence Lampert of Winnipeg, Manitoba, who died on April 20, 2024. He was 82 years old. He is survived by three brothers, Alan, Murray, and Gregory.
Born in 1941, Laurence was the second son of Philipp and Ella Lampert. He attended United College (now the University of Winnipeg) and Northwestern University, where he received his PhD in 1970.
From 1963 to 1970, he spent six weeks every summer commercial fishing, drift-netting for red salmon (sockeye) in a one-man boat in Bristol Bay, Alaska, the location of the greatest salmon run in the world.
From 1970 to 2005, Laurence taught philosophy at Indiana University in Indianapolis. A prolific researcher and writer, he published nine books and 36 papers, earning a reputation as "North America's greatest Nietzsche scholar". He has also written two books on Plato and two on Leo Strauss. Though he often said that he regarded teaching as "an unnatural act" for him, he was an engaging and beloved teacher.
He regarded himself as extremely lucky in meeting Ursula KoImstetter, the love of his life, in 1978 in Freiburg, Germany. They married in 1981. Together with a former student, the two of them built a cottage 25 kilometers east of Sioux Lookout, Ontario in the bush. In 2005, the year of his retirement from teaching, he and Ulla bought an apartment in Berlin. So began a pleasant pattern of commuting between Berlin, Indianapolis, and Sioux Lookout, as he continued his research and writing. Tragically, Ulla died of endometrial cancer on June 5, 2009.
In 2013, Laurence sold his home in Indianapolis and moved to Chicago. Four years later he moved back to his hometown of Winnipeg to be closer to his cottage.
The high point of Laurence's academic life was being invited to give six two-and-a-half-hour lectures at Renmin University in Beijing, China in the spring of 2015. Three of those lectures were then repeated in Hangzhou and Chongqing. A bilingual edition of these lectures appeared in China in 2021 under the title Philosophy and Philosophic Poetry: Strauss, Plato, Nietzsche.
Laurence was able to work almost to the end. His last project was the preparation of an English version of the Beijing Lectures, set to appear in July 2024.
One of Laurence's last published articles was an essay on Nietzsche that highlighted the theme of gratitude for mortal existence in Nietzsche's writings. "Gratitude is present throughout our philosophic tradition," Laurence wrote. He exemplified that virtue in his own life.
Lor had an especially close relationship with his brother Murray, who was at his side in his last days. His lifelong friendship with Mur was one of the things for which he was deeply grateful.
Donations can be made in Laurence's memory to the Phil and Ella Lampert Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Boreal Ornithology at the University of Manitoba, Donor Relations Department.
As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 14, 2024, May 14, 2024
Condolences & Memories (5 entries)
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Dear Murray, I knew your brother as his neighbor at Mills Lake with the Berniers. Shelley Swanson (Bernier) is my partner. Loved your brother a great deal. So deeply sad to just now find out of his passing. I'd really appreciate a call or contact to speak with you personally. Your brother spoke highly of you. - Posted by: Ritchie Noel (Neighbor at Mills lake) on: Oct 28, 2024
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My sincere condolences to Laurie's family, I only just learned of his passing today. Laurie was a camp neighbour to both my parents for 40 years and to myself as I had purchased the camp next door to him and truly enjoyed his wonderful stories about the history of the camps on Mills Lake and of his own life adventures as well. I feel truly blessed as he gifted and signed one of his books to me, "what I spent my life doing". We truly had no idea that he was so scholarly and that he was world famous as well. A true loss for our little camp community in Sioux Lookout and to the rest of the world. - Posted by: Shelley Swanson (Next door neighbour at Mills Lake in Sioux Lookout) on: Oct 28, 2024
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Hello Murray. I’m so sorry it took me so long to reach out to you. I found out about Laurence’s passing on June 10th; I have of course visited this site prior and have wanted to leave a message but I couldn’t. The truth is; I couldn’t face the fact he was gone. He told me he never looked back, you know, and I tried not to. But he’s with me always now. I’ve reached out to George and Iraj and Daniel and I’m hoping I can see you. I know it didn’t end on a good note but you know I cared deeply for Laurence. You were his confessor after all. Please consider my request. - Posted by: Agnieszka Lamparska (Companion) on: Aug 14, 2024
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Condolences to the family. Amazing remarkable life. - Posted by: Roxanne Hudson (reader) on: May 14, 2024
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I had no reason to read obituaries today yet I found my myself drawn to reading this one for Laurence Lampert. He sounds like a wonderful and interesting human who contributed greatly to the world. Thank you. - Posted by: Janice Morin (Reader of obituary ) on: May 14, 2024