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Ephraim E. Ericksen (1882-1967), professor of philosophy at the University of Utah, was one of the first Mormon intellectuals to take seriously the history and theology of his church. A believing yet thoughtful Mormon, he had little sympathy with what he saw as a testimony cult—a belief in insupportable doctrine for the sake of tradition—and feared that moral stagnation resulted from authoritarianism. He was committed to the dictum “The unexamined life is not worth living” and believed that the critical examination of religious thought is as important to intelligent men and women as scepticism is to scientific discovery. Despite his thirteen-year tenure on the general board of the LDS Church’s Mutual Improvement Association (MIA), Ericksen was censured by Mormon leaders following publication of his Psychological and Ethical Aspects of Mormon Group Life and his MIA manual Challenging Problems of the Twentieth Century. And because he continued to encourage thoughtful scrutiny of religion, he was later released as a priesthood instructor in his home congregation.
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“Ericksen was in many ways ahead of his time. If he had not been in an out-of-the-way place like Salt Lake City and had not been tied in various ways to the Mormon Church, he would easily have been recognized as a national leader in philosophy. As it was, he became president of the American Philosophical Association, was well known in philosophy circles in the West, and had a powerful influence on his numerous students and colleagues and on the culture of which he was a part. He was a great man and a great teacher.” —from the foreword by Sterling M. McMurrin, E. E. Ericksen Distinguished Professor, University of Utah, and author of The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion and Religion, Reason, and Truth.
About the Editor
Scott G. Kenney, a grandson of E. E. Ericksen, holds advanced degrees in American historical theology and in musicology. He helped found Sunstone magazine, served as publisher of Signature Books, Inc., from 1981 to 1984, and is currently the business manager and agent for Dennis Smith, a Salt Lake City-based sculptor and artist. He and his wife, Susan, have two children and reside in Highland, Utah.
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title page
Memories and Reflections
The Autobiography of E. E. Ericksen
Edited by Scott G. Kenney
With a Foreword by
Sterling M. McMurrin
Signature Books
Salt Lake City
1987
copyright page
Copyright 1987, Signature Books
Salt Lake City, Utah.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Book and cover design by Legume & Associates
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ericksen, Ephraim Edward.
Memories and reflections.
Includes index.
1. Ericksen, Ephraim Edward. 2. Mormons — United States — Biography. 3. Philosophers —
United States — Biography. 4. College teachers — United States — Biography. I. Kenney, Scott G., 1946 — II. Title.
BX8695.E75A3 1987 289.3'32'0924 [B] 87-23405
ISBN 0-941214-49-4
dedication page
To the descendants of
E. E. Ericksen and Edna Clark
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