In Memoriam: Paul Benacerraf ’52 *60, Anson G. Rabinbach

Paul Benacerraf ’52 *60

Denise Applewhite / Princeton University

Paul Benacerraf ’52 *60, who taught at the University for more than four decades and wrote influential works on the philosophy of mathematics and logic, died Jan. 13 at age 93. His intellectual life at Princeton began with his arrival as an undergraduate in 1948 and continued beyond his retirement in 2007. Benacerraf chaired the philosophy department twice, for a total of 16 years, and served as provost for three years at the beginning of Harold Shapiro *64’s presidency. A biography published by the Office of the Dean of the Faculty in 2007 described Benacerraf as “the departmental sage, the philosopher’s philosopher.”

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Anson G. Rabinbach

Department of History / Princeton University

Anson G. Rabinbach, a professor of 20th-century European history, died Feb. 2 at age 79. For nearly half of his time at Princeton, Rabinbach directed the Program in European Cultural Studies. His course list included intellectual history, conceptual history, and the history of European fascism. He wrote or edited books about Nazi Germany and its aftermath; social democracy and Marxism in Austria; and ideas in labor and industrialization that crossed national boundaries. Rabinbach transferred to emeritus status in 2019 after 23 years on the faculty.