Horace Snyder Fries, philosophy and psychology professor and writer, was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin, October 22, 1902. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin at Madison taking a Ph.B. in 1925, a Ph.M. in 1927, and a Ph.D. in 1934. His dissertation is titled, “The Development of Dewey's Utilitarianism.” Fries taught at Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin, from 1930 to 1937 and was assistant to the dean of the graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, from 1937 to 1938. In 1948 he became a full professor in the Philosophy Department at Wisconsin.
Although Fries spent his entire professional life in academe, he firmly believed that philosophical ideas should be put to social use. Fries, like John Dewey, theorized that the experimental methods of science could be applied to social institutions and ethics to arrive at objective judgments on policies and values. Fries did much of his writing in the 1930s and 1940s during the rise of fascism and communism in Europe and his papers reveal his concern with using philosophical ideas to strengthen democratic institutions.
From 1938 to 1939, Fries attempted to put his philosophy to practical use by serving as the supervisor of the Wisconsin State Government In-Service Training Apprenticeship Program. The program was an experiment in improving government administration by selecting highly qualified students to prepare themselves for public service by working as apprentices in government offices. Fries was also interested in social planning at the national level. He contributed ideas to the Tennessee Valley Authority and corresponded with its director, David Lilienthal.
A major philosophical concern of Fries was the historic split between science and ethics in Western thought. He considered this division to be dangerous and many of his writings are attempts to demonstrate that science is not ethically neutral. Fries was critical of positivist philosophers who believed in the ethical neutrality of science and metaphysicians, whether they be “supernaturalists” like Jacques Maritain, or materialists like Karl Marx. Because of the tendency of traditional religions to assert that ethical matters are supernaturally prescribed, Fries could not accept them. He became involved in a campus religious group called “Vanguard” which was comprised of people who were dissatisfied with organized religions. Vanguard was described as a naturalistic approach to religion and it was based on ideas in John Dewey's book, A Common Faith.
Fries remained on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin until his death on September 21, 1951.
